My Wife says I’m bragging But I’m just happy to share this info with everyone…ENJOY!
When I started looking for a kayak…Same as all the other dummy’s I searched by price or bought random kayaks at Flea Markets & Yard Sales for $30-$50 None of them ever were right for me.
So, I saved up a little more money and it turned out Everyone wanted almost what the kayak’s original value was before they beat the heck out of it.
I put an ad on Craigslist and FB Marketplace titled
“FREE KAYAKS ~ WANTED ~ WANTED ~ WANTED”
It said if people had a broken, leaky, unused, unwanted, unloved kayak laying around taking up space, I’ll come pick it up but be fair because I still have to fix it or dispose of it.
In the past couple months I’ve gotten everything from tiny Pelican Burst SE up to beautiful Hurricane Phoenix 160 and everything in between for pennies on the dollar. I’m talking about 2,3 or 4 kayaks at a time and some are like new!
I’ve gone through about 30 kayaks in the past couple months.
I’ve been repairing kayaks (CORRECTLY) for many years is why I asked for BROKEN/LEAKY kayaks
These are my simple rules for repairing kayaks
FIX PLASTIC WITH PLASTIC (Use the same type!) Not bondo, epoxy, fiberglass JB Weld…etc.
HOT PLASTIC STICKS TO HOT PLASTIC (Both surfaces must be hot to bond)
TEST YOUR PATCH!
TIPS: Best plastic for kayaks is LITTLE TIKES or PLAYSCHOOL play sets or furniture
(They come in so many colors!)
Buy a Weller wood burning kit with the flat iron in it.
DO NOT BUY THE HARBOR FREIGHT WELDING KIT) It comes with the wrong plastic for
kayaks and will break if you press too hard AND YOU WILL!
NOTE: After I test for leaks I’ll melt Aluminum window screen onto the patch and coat it with another layer of plastic OVERKILL I know but it’s stronger than the original and Especially a good idea on keel repairs.
Here is a video on my latest kayaks It doesn’t show all of them because a lot of them are quick flips.
Thanks for reading my post(s) And/Or watching my videos.
Manuel Z (AKA: PHARTATTACK)
Excellent! It’s great that you’re refurbishing plastic kayaks that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. What’s your asking price for some of the kayaks you’ve repaired?
I sell them for about half their value after being repaired and tested.
Problem is everyone wants cheap kayaks and shop by price without researching what they’re buying. I’ll get a 250 Lb guy trying to buy a youth kayak because it’s listed at $150 but the weight capacity is 200 Lbs.
Here is a good trick to use different plastics… First cut wire mesh (Aluminum window screen works fine) just a little larger than the hole/repair with a wood burning kit or a soldering iron, melt the mesh into the kayak plastic around the damage/patch then you can melt any type of plastic onto the mesh just make sure the edges of both plastics are hot enough to bond to each other.
For added protection, tape off the repair and spray it with matching paint or clear Rustoleum leak seal/flex seal
I don’t know if there is a way to edit my post to change the video link…
Sorry… I’d misspelled the title and changed it and also added to the end of the video, Here is the New link
I know what you mean about people wanting cheap kayaks. I’m trying to convince my neighbor to find a good used kayak instead of a cheap one from a big box store. Same price but the used kayak will work so much better.
Good idea. Reinforcement is used a lot in the trades, from rebar to smaller mesh like you mentioned. I wonder if a heat gun would work better than a soldering iron? I have a milwaukee heat gun that will melt any plastic it touches after I use it, so it might work faster in this application.
Yesterday I picked up 2 more kayaks, One of them was a Wilderness Systems Ride 115, The other just had a sticker that said AFFORDABLE ADVENTURES… Turns out it was actually a Brooklyn Kayak Company PK12 Pedal kayak (missing the pedal drive) and never used.
Got them both for way under $500.
Shopping for a replacement pedal drive but don’t want the cheap mass produced drive BKC uses.
Most roto molded boats are HDPE. The rods can be easily obtained in many colors directly from manufacturers and Amazon. I’ve been welding and repairing plastic boats for years. Proper repair requires a whole bag of tricks. Lol
Petroleum strikes again, showing us how we cannot live w/o it unless we turn into cavemen with stick tools.
People might be able to find plastics distributors around them and just buy from them. I got a piece of HDPE to enclose the front of one of my canoes, but figured that wouldn’t be too smart as it’s create a pocket that would make it very hard to get out if it got dumped in the right orientation.
So I used the piece to put on my hardboard covered workbench. Works great and takes a beating. Don’t have to worry about solvents or anything like that getting on it as they wipe up with a paper towel.
Oh yeah, I’ll get 2 identical kayaks with the same damage and both are repaired a bit differently
I like how on the Adventure 14 it shows the dented side then the smooth other side…lol
