Unavoidable damage
Running across rocks in shallow water is part of the unavoidable dragging I was talking about. Pulling the boat on roads to get it back to the car is a choice and it’s not a good idea. Some models have rounded keels and aren’t as vulnerable to wear but I’ve seen many boats with patches on them where they have been lifted from the bow and pulled on pavement. Some people are rough on boats, others pamper them and try to make them last forever.
Remember, some of us deliberately
buy composite boats that have no gelcoat whatsoever. I no longer accept the weight penalty of gelcoat, and I find that my boats are lasting a long time, both with respect to UV damage, and regarding scrapes and scratches.
Remember to look up a plastic welder.
Hull Protection
There is a product that is usd in the chemical R&D community called Bytac.Comes in 30" wide rolls,its very slick with very strong adhesive.Adds a layer of protection. Its impervius to temp.chemicals,sunlight etc. Its often used on work table surfaces.
I try to keep…
…a good coat of marine wax on the entire boat, and would use what I would call my “beater boat” if I thought there was a pretty good chance of doing some damage to it. I decided to do some repairs to it after I brought it home, and am fairly comfortable and well practiced now at doing some minor touch up work myself. I am figuring I will probably have to do some additional “spot on” touch up over the years of use. Seems like maybe quite a few kayakers expect to have to do some maintainence/repair and learn to do it themselves.
interesting…
This sounds interesting, but all I can find online is bulk quantities (like a 15-foot roll) for several hundred dollars. I did find a narrower roll, 12 inches, but it’s still 15 feet long and costs $134. Also, since it comes in a flat sheet, it’s going to result in an uneven surface when applied to the curves of a canoe hull. Still, the price seems favorable compared to skip plates if it holds up well and if it bonds well with the various materials common in canoes.
Scratches
On a plastic boat dont worry about it much. Look at a new ww kayak after 0ne trip and it is half covered with dings. I own one composite and tend to be careful but you will get a few scrapes here and there if you use it. I do agree you should not drag your boat at least on pavement.
Hull damage
I have a 1992 fiberglass kayak that is wearing through in the keel strip area. Dragging on sand will eventually kill a fiberglass kayak. I am going to spend 300 or 400 on a new keel strip, maybe I can get another decade out of this boat.
Rocks usually just cause nicks and scrapes, not that big a deal except for looks.
Phil, $100 one time purchase and
a little work on a warm day can repair that kind of damage. Why pay more?
Spray-on Bedliner
Here’s an idea that was just posted on our clubs website… I’ve never seen it myself.
“My long time rock gardening boat the Merlin LT, fully armored, meet its demise several months ago. I’m now working on my wife’s LT. After contacting a Eddyline rep, he suggested I speak with Penguin Paddles in Rocklin Regarding armoring this thermal molded plastic boat.
The folks at Penguin Paddlers are spaying a layer of bedliner material on the keel and or bottom of many boats. They have done this to hundreds of boats (both carbonlite and composite) and really have put them to the test. The cost is $140. Eddyline has played around with this a bit, using the material on the inside too. I’ll have the boat on the water this month, will know soon if its worth $140”