Experience with kayak keel guard tape?

Has anyone tried to apply PVC keel guard tape to their kayak? I have a fiberglass sea kayak that I was considering trying it on but see some reviews re it being hard to get it to lay flat and to fully adhere at the edges. (I have a 16 1/2 ft boat and wanted to apply something the entire length. I did read the old posts about keel protecters where some folks recommended epoxy and graphite, or epoxy and carbon, etc.)
This is link to the Peregard PVC tape on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/2djjt74s
Thanks,

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I have used what is perhaps a similar product, Keel Eazy purchased from kayakacademy.com. I have happily used this for many kayaks for many years on composite kayaks with success. There are users less happy with the product. However, I am a flat water kayaker e.g. no rock gardening etc. It protects the keel in landings/launchings etc. Under those conditions it holds up well.

The product I use is 2" wide ( the 4" width is also available) and runs $4 per foot. It takes some practice to do a good job. I use a heat gun on low setting to help in laying the tape.

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No experience at all. :slight_smile:

see full comments here:

https://forums.paddling.com/t/re-re-experience-with-kayak-keel-guard-tape/132836

I have applied Keel Eazy to both a fiberglass and a wood kayak. If you don’t have a heat gun, you’ll likely have issues getting it to lay flat and adhere properly. It takes patience, a little dexterity and firm pressure from a roller.

One trouble spot is where the bow sweeps up. You have to slightly stretch the tape to properly flattened it out. Go slow as possible without applying heat in one spot for too long. Any folds will accumulate sand and debris. I found that artfully trimming the width of the tape right at the curve allows it to wrap over curves more easily.

I only recommend using keel tape if you will always want to replace it. What I mean is the tape itself strips off easily with heat, but leaves the adhesive on the hull. Takes a lot of elbow grease and solvents to remove that adhesive strip. Not a problem, I suppose, if you are going to put new tape down, although I’d want a clean hull rather than old adhesive underneath.

Since you sacrifice the tape to protect the keel, you will have to replace it eventually.

White tape turns yellow after a few years if you have it on that long.

I have used Keel Eazy but have given up on it. I have a Canadian built boat which tends to have thicker gelcoat on the keel. Every scratch and gouge I have gotten has been on one side or the other of the keel. The adhesive on the tape tends to fail after a time, especially where it curves and in hot weather. Then it picks up sand and tends to shift off of the keel. This is happening on my wife’s boat as well. The keel strip is easy enough to remove, but removing the adhesive is a real pain.

I just do spot gelcoat repair every couple of years. Don’t care if the white gelcoat does not match the hull exactly. It’s a boat, not the Mona Lisa.

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How do you do gelcoat repair?

Myself I start by cleaning the damaged area and making sure it’s completely dry. I then lightly sand around the scratch to give the new gelcoat something to grip onto. After mixing the gelcoat with the hardener, I carefully apply it over the scratch, slightly overfilling it. I let it cure overnight, then sand it smooth with progressively finer sandpaper until it’s level with the surrounding surface. Finally, I polish the area to blend it in and restore its shine

There are dozens of sites online about gelcoat repair. For minor repairs it’s a fairly simple process. The two general types of gelcoat are gelcoat with wax and without.

In general, you might want to use gelcoat with wax if you want the gelcoat to cure right away, or if you want a hard, smooth finish immediately. You might want to use gelcoat without wax if you want to apply multiple coats without sanding in between and then finishing with a hardener. For a small repair one coat of gelcoat is usually sufficient.

Be aware that color matching is an art. It’s rare that new gelcoat will be available to perfectly match your boat without adding coloring additives.

Gelcoat can be expensive, but you only use a small amount for minor repairs and without catalyst added it can last for years sealed in the can.

I have used Keel Eazy for about 15 years, and have only had one issue with it that was caused by my failing to completely clean the area that the tape was going. I’ve replaced it every 5 years or so because I wear out the bow section - I have a habit of running up beaches to get out. It also covers up damage to the keel at the rear that has a good repair done, but no gelcoat.

Overall, I have had really good experience with it.

My experience is pretty much the same as rsevenic. I purchased four feet of KeelEazy from Marshall at The River Connection in 2017. Applied it to the bow of my kevlar Prana. It’s still on with no issues. I used a blow dryer for heat while applying it.