Sea Kayak Repair and Refurbish

Hey guys!



I am new to the kayaking scene but have done some a long time ago when I young lad.



I recently aquired myself a very run down and beat up fibreglass kayak and would like to have a go at repairing and refurbing it.



I have browsed around on the web and found several very helpful sites giving advice on how to repair fibreglass and gelcoats. I was wondering if you guys could advise me and give input on what you think and if it is manageable.



This is a link to pictures I have taken of the damaged areas, some are the same photo just at different angles.



http://s35.photobucket.com/user/Squid_uk/library/Kayak%20Project



Thanks in advanced!


No can see
I get a message that it is a private album.

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wow
that’s some work.

I’ve seen boats with decks broken in half repaired good as new but those were new boats with lots of life left in them. Hard to believe that would be worth repairing. You’d end up with a very heavy boat. From the hull cross section that looks like an ancient boat.

Quick and dirty but will come out

– Last Updated: Apr-26-13 9:09 PM EST –

nice fix ...

Relief cut all those big cracks and patches tape ( masking ) over on outside and fix from inside. Same on bow / stern, seams etc. ... No need go crazy.

Next is 36 grit ... YES 36 grit the whole outside as hard as you want. Take EVERYTHING OFF down to bare, original glass. Suit up and go nutz. Fill / fix all the big gouges with West 410 or something EZ to sand. Do everything + maybe any other glassing if ness. Using softer pad with 60 or 80 sand the whole thing again fairing these filled in spots.

The glass over the whole thing with pigmented resin and call it a day.

Have you been on UK websites for help
and advice? They will know specifics about where to get glass, epoxy, tools.



It looks like some sort of old whitewater boat. A lot of work will be needed. Frankly, I would get a second job and pile up money for a new kayak. I like repairs, but not massive reconstruction.



An old fiberglass boat like that may have a lot of loose, itchy fibers inside. If you ever get it together, something needs to be done inside and out to keep the fibers down.

I’m skeptical about this one
While I’ve been known to tackle a project just to see if it was possible, I have serious reservations about this one. It looks from the photos as if large sections of the hull have been crushed and have just had fiberglass mat and resin slathered over them to hold the thing together. It appears that you would essentially be completely replacing much of the boat. Before doing anything else, I would sand off all of the finish layers so you can see if there is anything structural underneath that’s undamaged.



If you can manage the sand it to a fair shape, you’ll essentially have a form that you can laminate multiple layers of glass cloth (woven cloth, not mat) to the outside of, to provide structural strength. Once that’s done, you can sand away any protruding bits inside and add internal reinforcement where necessary.



In the end, the original boat becomes a core for the new structural layers. Add a coat or two of paint and it’s done.



The strongest way to do this would be with glass and epoxy resin, but for the amount that you’re going to need, polyester resin is a lot cheaper and it cures faster. It’s also better if you’re not going to be able to do all of the exterior layers at the same time.

I’m A Sucker
for canoe repairs and have done one kayak repairs so far and most of what I’ve done is nothing compared to the damage I see there. I know I would walk away unless I was so bored I needed another months long and costly hull to fix. I agree with other posters, save your cash and find something else out there!



dougd