Someone gave me an old Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT that has a crack in it. They said they stored it under their house, and one day, as he was pulling it out, it hit the foundation of the house and split. That sounded odd, as My experience with my OK Prowler 13 is its 'bout near bullet proof. Maybe it had been stressed in that area, and when it bumped it cracked, I dont know. Anyway, I was going to melt it back together with a plastic welder, but if the plastic in these goes bad or rots, I dont want to weld it back together and have it crack somewhere else. Is it worth my time? It would be nice to have a loaner yak, or to use it in the surf. Thanks for any info.
Can get brittle
– Last Updated: Nov-07-09 3:33 PM EST –
Aging, sun too but enough age or abuse and plastic will lose its flexibility.
That said, it doesn't seem to me that bumping it against the foundation should produce a significant crack unless there are some deeper issues, material getting brittle or the crack was already started. Or the damage was more than a bump against the foundation...
You may want to take a good look at this boat, maybe bang it here and there to see how it reacts, before taking it into surf.
HOWEVER…
…kayaks no longer suitable for the water make EXCELLENT snow sleds.
Snow sled? or
kaboggan?
I’ve used OT Otters and our OT Loon 111’s for kaboganning.
The hills may not be long or steep but it is a lot of fun, plus the grandkids love it! What better excuse than to say it’s for the grandkids? By the way, we use a paddle while doing so.
One really never gets too old to play. 
BTW-we keep our boats garaged or under some type of cover.
plastic is a chemical compount
Plastic is a compound that breathes and continuously reacts to air. Over time any plastic will change consistency and yes over time (amplified if left on the sun) plastic will ‘rot’, evaporate, lose strength, structure…
rroberts of the Mounties.
Plastic
I know rubber is affected by ozone, causing it to weathercheck and weaken over time. Plastic probably is too, in addition to UV damage.