I bought a used Old Town Guide 119 a few years ago but just recently put kevlar skid plates on it. After putting them on I noticed they aren’t exactly even and symmetrical from side to side. It’s off by maybe an 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch or so and not noticeable unless you’re really looking. Anal retentive I know lol.
I was thinking of taking them off and redoing but my question is, since the Guide 119 is three layer polyethylene how much of a pain would it be to do if it’s even possible (or worth doing)? Or would it be possible to add a thin strip around the perimeter of the current skid plate to even them out?
I sow another post on how to fix this on Rolex canoes but wasn’t sure if the process was any different for three layer polyethylene. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I think my OCD’s need to have everything exactly right is getting the best of me lol.
Getting them centered by adding a small strip on the shorter side may just end up being a winter project when I can’t paddle. But that’s if it still annoys me by then.
I’m not sure that factory installations are any better than 1/8-1/4 inch accuracy. Probably best to just paddle the heck out of the boat and see if you can wear them out.
I had put the Keel Easy strips on when I got the canoe but they had finally started wearing out/peeling so I switched to the kevlar felt skid plates.
I’ll probably need to replace the new ones after a few years (like I did the Keel Easy strips) so I should just let them run their course and replace them whenever they wear out. Sounds better than obsessing over the slight difference in them now.
