Kayak Repair

Advice
#1

I had the ‘bright’ idea of patching scratches on the hull of my old CD Solstice which is FG. Sanded down the repair with 220 and noticed that of course the area around it was now dull. I proceeded to gently apply 220 to the rest of the hull. Looked nice and uniform and even took away the tarnished look.

Now I have tried 400, 600, rubbing and polishing compound and I can’t get the very fine scratches removed nor can I return the same glossy look to the surface.

Any suggestions other than to not do it again!!!???

Thanks for the help.

Rich

#2

Buff it NM

#3

go finer still
Wet sand with 800 grit, then 1500 or 2000 grit paper.



See if you can borrow an automotive buffer as Andy suggests.



I haven’t used Penetrol, but many swear by it.

#4

Leave the scratches
Scratches don’t need repair, only holes.



And you aren’t breathing in the FG dust, right?



Jim

#5

Some believe that a satin surface makes
for slightly easier paddling than a glass-smooth surface. You can console yourself with that thought, because even if there is such a difference, you’ll never be able to measure it.



Don’t worry about the FG dust. You won’t die for decades.

#6

Krylon
I fill in some of the scratches with Krylon spray paint each spring. Of course most of this gets scraped off by rocks and sand over the course of the year, but right now the bottom looks mostly white and if I don’t have any new holes or cracks by winter, then I will not have to put any more glass cloth, epoxy, or paint on the boat.



The others are plastic and have never needed repair to the hulls, but the Kevlar one is lightest and gets used the most.

#7

Live with the scratches
Some kind of magic marker could fill in the color if it really makes you nuts. And you can put clear plastic sticky stuff form auto places on the common wear spots like under where you slide spare paddles. It’s a pain to apply right, but it’ll limit further scratches.

#8

email sent …

#9

If you want a shine,
you can sand it with 220 and use a good quality marine spar varnish - as we do on the fiberglass epoxy-covered wooden boats. But, read about techniques and familiarize yourself with the procedures, because this is a very challenging method of finish-work, requiring the right tools and technique.