Coaming Repair

Last night I noticed that the coaming on my wife’s WS Arctic Hawk is a little loose at the front. From what I can tell without pulling on it and making the problem worse, the coaming seems to just sit down in the opening in the fiberglass with no lip underneath to hold it on. Is this typical? What’s the best way to repair this and ensure solid attachment? My first thought was a little epoxy between the coaming and the glass? Would that work?

Oh, and she insists that it still be “pretty” if possible.


Epoxy always worked for me.
I would tape the top and pour it in from the inside.

She will never notice…

epoxy is probably
the best solution.

Make sure you have washed any salt away (if paddling in the sea), dried the kayak very well, and then you can repair it with a mix of epoxy and microfiber (filler/thickner).

Epoxy alone can be a bit too runny.

A thickened up mix will work well and the microfiber will add strength if there is a bit of a gap between coaming and deck.

Clean (with acetone) and sand the area first.

West System
makes an epoxy called G-Flex. I used it this weekend on a fg boat and it worked well and was easy to use. The kit has a filler with it.

dental syringe



More info needed
You haven’t given us much to go on.



I’d think about reinforcing the joint with some fiberglass tape on the inside.