I could cry a little bit...

Perception Caretta tandem
I’m familiar w. this model having paddled in it and along side of it, helped bring it ashore, on and off a vehicle, etc.



While kevlar it’s still a heavy kayak. A four foot crack resulting from a four foot drop onto concrete by a kayak this heavy is pretty significant. I would not assume by any means that it’s only gel coat.



Pix were not up at the time I viewed this thread.



I would get it over to a shop that does fiberglass boat repairs and get an opinion/estimate. Opinion as to whether structural or not and resulting estimate.



Since the OP is new to kayak repair I would advise professional repair if determined to be structural.Later in season practice on simple smaller gel coat repairs. Good way to learn.



If gel coat repair have at it. If kevlar fibers are exposed it is a bit more work but doable by anyone with patience and moderate competency.



UNLESS this is a brand new kayak and you care about resale value (with tandems this can be a high probability lol) - then pro repair should be considered. No offense but your first try at gel coat repair will likely not be your best. Buyers can be skittish about a less than stellar repair on a crack that long.
















perspective from fellow oldster
I think as we paddlers get older we need to consider portability of our boats more seriously. I’m 65 now, barely 5’ 5" 150 lb female of moderate fitness and as recently as 2 years ago used to own and even solo load kayaks as heavy as 65 pounds and an 84 lb canoe onto the roof rack of a car. I had several near misses but fortunately never a major drop event – but I have mildly injured myself struggling with the barges.



I also have ultralight kayaks and finally decided to get rid of anything over 45 pounds. The boats I use exclusively now (all solo touring kayaks) range from 25 lbs (folding) to 44 lbs (rotomold plastic), including an 18 foot skin-on-frame that is barely 31 lbs. It really does make paddling so much easier to have light and manageable boats.



Actually, you could get a 44 lb tandem, 33 lbs less than what you are wrangling now, with a Pakboat XT-17 It is $2000 new and not only convertible from solo to double, but it packs down in a duffel bag for transport in a car trunk or as checked luggage on a plane. No roof rack or trailer needed, though the set up boat can be carried on any rack or trailer as well.



My ex had the shorter XT-15 and they are really nice kayaks, easy to set up and feel just like a hardshell but with more comfortable seats. You would attract just as much interest on the lake with a Pakboat as with the Caretta, perhaps more when they see you carrying it with one hand or dismantling it to put in your trunk.



I realize this is probably not something you would consider at this point but it is just one alternative strategy to consider if you want to keep kayaking as you age.



http://pakboats.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=37&Itemid=170

maybe the wrong car?
I’ve been there. We make choices and some of them require sacrifices.



If you just want to dump the S2000, I understand. I’ll take it off your hands for a reasonable fee.

Four Responses
willowleaf wrote: “many instructions on the web: Googling “repair of kevlar boats” yields many sources of instruction on this. Among them:”



Great help and I was following one of those links and found another link to a repair kit. One also recommended sandblasting the repair area and I do have a simple total-loss blaster.



slushpaddler wrote: “maybe the wrong car? I’ve been there. We make choices and some of them require sacrifices. If you just want to dump the S2000, I understand. I’ll take it off your hands for a reasonable fee.”



LOL! And yes, compromises, we’re giving up a lot of flexibility to now have a roadster-only household. Interestingly, the S2000 gives us a little more boat-to-car-roof clearance then the Acura RSX-S we had until last year. OTOH, another way to read that is “the rack is holding the boat higher than it need be”.



Katabatic wrote: “Perception Caretta tandem: I’m familiar w. this model having paddled in it and alongside of it, helped bring it ashore, on and off a vehicle, etc. While kevlar it’s still a heavy kayak. A four foot crack resulting from a four foot drop onto concrete by a kayak this heavy is pretty significant. I would not assume by any means that it’s only gel coat. Pix were not up at the time I viewed this thread. I would get it over to a shop that does fiberglass boat repairs and get an opinion/estimate. Opinion as to whether structural or not and resulting estimate. Since the OP is new to kayak repair I would advise professional repair if determined to be structural. Later in season practice on simple smaller gel coat repairs. Good way to learn. If gel coat repair have at it. If kevlar fibers are exposed it is a bit more work but doable by anyone with patience and moderate competency. UNLESS this is a brand new kayak and you care about resale value (with tandems this can be a high probability lol) - then pro repair should be considered. No offense but your first try at gel coat repair will likely not be your best. Buyers can be skittish about a less than stellar repair on a crack that long.”



This seems to be the counterpoint to the “it’s OK, just fix the gel coat” posts, and I have to make a decision. Nearest Kayak shop I know of is 60 miles round trip and I think I’d have to park the car/trailer rig a couple of blocks away. I’d like to think I can do an OK job, certainly better than the fiberglass hood scoop on my Datsun 510 back in the 70’s, I did a horrible job. Again, inspection of the boat from the inside shows no evidence of damage at all. Not planning on selling the boat, we “overbought” in the first place so we wouldn’t shortly be upgrading. I’m more worried that a repair might look fine when we’re paddling on flat water and learning, then when we finally venture out onto rougher water stresses cause the repair to yield. The photo didn’t show any useful detail so I never looked into posting it.



willowleaf wrote: “perspective from fellow oldster: I think as we paddlers get older we need to consider portability of our boats more seriously. I’m 65 now, barely 5’ 5" 150 lb female of moderate fitness and as recently as 2 years ago used to own and even solo load kayaks as heavy as 65 pounds and an 84 lb canoe onto the roof rack of a car. I had several near misses but fortunately never a major drop event – but I have mildly injured myself struggling with the barges.”



That’s a reasonable consideration, but for now my wife is plenty strong, works out a few times per week and just helped tote a couple of tons of wood pellets to the basement. It her height that’s an issue and I’ve considered a little ladder for loading but I think that could be dangerous. So, again, my choices are a different trailer or a Hullavator or continue as-is.

bless you

– Last Updated: Aug-12-15 10:53 AM EST –

I admire anyone going open-top as their only car. Besides, it's a Honda, so you've already exhibited common sense.
The die was probably cast when you drove an early 70s Datsun 510. ;)

have your wife wear high heels
hubbahubba lol.

foam
Wal sells foam rolls for upholstery stuffing. Sheets can be doubled or layed on cardboard for an easy landing. Maybe protected in a bag(s) slit at bot ends



I had not kayaked for awhile dropping one end of my Solstice onto cardboard from awkwardness, inability to pick up where we had left off AND forgetting how far bow is from stern…the source of many long boat bash errors.



Nothing visually damaged but there is unseen and possible cumulative damage

noosing
the high end is possible, placing a loop around hull with free end accessible from ground so when you go to position B there’s a loop at position A

step stool
I carry a small folding step stool in the back of my car – it is sturdy and with the rubber inserts is stable to stand on. It gives me just that little boost that helps with loading and rigging the racks. You can get these just about anywhere from $8 to $20. handy for a lot of things and fold totally flat.



http://www.target.com/p/honey-can-do-folding-step-stool/-/A-15740913?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=15740913&CPNG=Storage+Organization&kpid=15740913&LID=27pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=15740913&kpid=15740913&gclid=Cj0KEQjw3auuBRDj1LnQyLjy-4sBEiQAKPU_vS8aFCoFrOUHiTuQtpW99MjR1SUkvDpHHay9IRLvgCoaAvov8P8HAQ

something I forgot to add
with a crack is 4 feet long you might find in a week or so it has spread. It may even depend how you store the heavy beast.



In a way that might be a good thing, indicating it’s a gel coat crack that’s traveling.



Or it could mean more structural damage esp since the crack is at the stern end which is the heaviest part of the kayak.



Sorry.



If you are not sure which, then yeah, a boat shop. Not necessarily a kayak shop. Someone who repairs boats.


(OK, topic getting a little long…)
Noosing wrote: “the high end is possible, placing a loop around hull with free end accessible from ground so when you go to position B there’s a loop at position A”



Read that a few times, still don’t understand, sounds like you’re explaining a specific way to load/unload to prevent a repetition of this. Hmm, partway to simply building a crane or gantry on the trailer for loading? :^D



slushpaddler wrote: “bless you: I admire anyone going open-top as their only car. Besides, it’s a Honda, so you’ve already exhibited common sense. The die was probably cast when you drove an early 70s Datsun 510. ;)”



Clarification, we only own roadsterS, plural. Also have the new Boxster and the old Sunbeam, neither of which are rigged to tow. So you can retract “common sense” if you want! The Datsun probably would not have been a boating-support improvement, although when I was bike racing, the bike fit where the back seat used to be (gutted street rat). I guess if I was rational we’d have a Forester by now.



daggermat wrote: “have your wife wear high heels hubbahubba lol.”



Yeah and I know – post pictures!  Sheesh, I don’t know how she walks (or drives!) in those things. Hmm, how about plasterer’s stilts?



willowleaf wrote: “step stool: I carry a small folding step stool in the back of my car – it is sturdy and with the rubber inserts is stable to stand on. It gives me just that little boost that helps with loading and rigging the racks. You can get these just about anywhere from $8 to $20. handy for a lot of things and fold totally flat.”



My first reaction is NO WAY, an invitation to fall. We have that exact same (IIRC) stool in the kitchen for my wife’s use, but would think that standing on a stool while handling the boat is a recipe for disaster OTOH, my 2nd reaction is you seem to be getting away with it…



Katabatic wrote: “something I forgot to add: with a crack is 4 feet long you might find in a week or so it has spread. It may even depend how you store the heavy beast. In a way that might be a good thing, indicating it’s a gel coat crack that’s traveling. Or it could mean more structural damage esp since the crack is at the stern end which is the heaviest part of the kayak.”



That’s VERY good input. I just wish I had thought of that when it happened and marked the endpoints of the crack to see if it grows. Anyway, Saturday will be a week, and I have not done anything yet to the boat, it bears re-examination. Is stop-drilling an option?