Carbon Fiber Kayak Needs Repair

My carbon fiber Kayakpro Marlin was crushed in an auto accident and needs a lot of repair. The body is all together, but there a long cracks down each side and front bulkhead is out. Nose has a number of cracks/tears.



Any recommendations on who might be able to repair this?



Thanks.

might help …
http://www.kayak-repair-central.com/carbon-fiber-repair.html

The instructions are OK, although some
of us, for technical reasons, prefer to apply the largest patch first, and so on down to the smallest. This can actually make things easier, because if you put the smallest patch on first, and it is close to the size of the “hole,” it tends not to sit in a stable fashion.



Although the instructions acknowledge that some may not want to do serious sanding around a hole or crack, it is better to create a shallow crater so that the thickness of the hull + patches at any point is about equal to the original thickness of the hull.



Although it is not “pretty,” there may be merit in using one or two Kevlar layers in the patch sequence. Kevlar is much less likely to re-split than carbon. If the repair can be done from inside, the Kevlar may not show at all. Kevlar is a very light fabric like carbon.

Where do you live?
Any competent composite professinal can make it look like new. Keep Kevlar out of there and let a pro do what they know how to do. I’ve seen seemingly hopeless cases repaired to a level where one couldn’t tell there was any damage ever!


Marlin Repair
I live in Huntsville, Alabama. Folks I’ve talked to locally tell me it’s not worth fixing. I’m encouraged to hear it might be possible. I bought a new Marlin recently and now do not need a quick fix on my broken boat. If you have any recommended shops I could take it to I would appreciate it.

Not sure out there?
I have to say that it’s gotta be super bad to be not worth fixing, which it may indeed be. Who’s reviewing it? Amateur’s or pro composite folk? Not a slam on the average amateur repair folk at all, rather knowing that pro’s have more options. As previously said I’ve seen stuff that I would have put in the dumpster get fixed better than new!



Cost is always an issue as well. Make sure you talk to a professional shop and maybe try a yacht repair yard. Good luck.

Agree with Salty, take it to a
yacht repair place … At least let them explain to you how they would do it. From what you are describing, they will probably tell you the first thing that will happen is a saw will be used on it … In a good way : )



Outside of the ship yard, Don’t believe everything you hear from someone who says " I used to work on Corvettes " …

Some so-called professionals will do
a repair so perfect you can’t see that the boat was ever damaged. But the nature of the repair may be such that it adds weight, adds stiffness, and leaves the hull vulnerable to new damage.



Those of us who have to repair whitewater boats do not waste time trying for an invisible repair. We concentrate on repairs that last.