What is the best way to cover over or seal or whatever all of the new rock scratches on my Dirigo 120? I was testing the draft and skimmed a few (calm water on a small pond-not a whitewater paddle)
i’d love to
say i’d worn out the bottom of my kayak. keep on going best thing is to leave alone an keep on paddling
scratches
will harm nothing. Just continue to use it. Always remember this . . . If you do not want to scratch it don’t take it out of the box.
Another way to look at it is this " A kayak is only a carrying device for scratches."
Just paddle and have fun
303 hides them for awhile.
most scratches…
…on boats are like the scratches on my hull.
A smile with ever scratch and they show the
character that comes with lots of use.
I don’t hide them. I brag about them.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Gauley.
Why yearly on the vigil feast his neighbors,
And say, ‘To-morrow is Gauley Fest’.
Then he will flip his boat and show it’s scars,
And say, ‘these wounds I had on Gauley Fest’.
Old men forget, yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What drops he ran that day. Then shall our names
Familiar in his mouth as household words–
Rick the Twerpt, Ronzo, and Danger Judy,
Beth, Foamy George, Skywalker, and Ezwater–
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered
This story shall the good man teach his son
And Gauley Fest shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
but we in it shall be remembered–
We few, we happy few, we band of paddlers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be a paddler, be ever so bad his roll, this day shall gentle his condition;
and people in the Midwest now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not
here
And hold their people-hood cheap, whiles any
speak,
Who paddled with us upon Gauley Fest.
Damn, they just don’t write 'em like that anymore.
Back Country Skiing
Whenever I took a new pair of back country skis out I learned it was better to welcome the scratches to get it over with. Then I could relax and enjoy the skiing more.
Scratches are good
My wife always checks the bottoms of the kayaks to see if the kids and I have bought any new ones. The sales people at the store must wonder why we drag a brand new boat around the parking lot a few times before we load it up.
Carbon hull scratches
– Last Updated: Sep-18-05 1:41 PM EST –
I have an Epic Endurance 18 Carbon version and have wondered the same thing. Being a completely black layout (except tips), it shows scratches like no kayak I've owned or used. Anyone have an idea on what to do to cosmetically repair those white streaks? I take mine out in places that are going to eventually leave it with a white underbelly... take a black Sharpie to it??
Paint the bottom white
and have done with it since it seems to want to happen anyway.
No one has given you one idea
about how to fix the scratches. They all just say live with it. I say “Bully!” You might wish to take charge and fix those scratches. I guess I stand alone in those thoughts.
I have scrapes and scratches
all over my Tempest 170, having bought a used rental. The only thing I have heard is that you could use a heat gun to try and smooth out some of the scratches but it was always mentioned with the fact that it was extremely difficult to do, not worth the effort, and after reading about it I thik I agree. You are just going to scratch it up again anyway.
I think Greyak said it best when he said that the only way to get rid of the first scratches is to put more scratches over them.
Paul
You can sand them for hours with
200 grit sandpaper.Then you have lots of scratches.
This whole scratch discussion reminds
me of some guys that I used to hunt with in Idaho. They would always show up in these brand new, hig dollar, shiny 4WD vehicles and then not want to actually take them off-road because they did not want to get them dirty or scratched/dented (which is what happens when you cross streams and bounce off trees). Scratches happen. Unless you are going to kayak in a swimming pool with rubber coaming your boat is going to get scratched. If the sight of hull scratches really bothers you just try to spend more time in your boat in the water. Can’t see the scratches from the cockpit. As has been posted, you can cover them up or smooth them out, but then the hull will just look like it has been repaired instead of scratched. Black ain’t a great hull color.
Clarification on scratch question
First,thanks for all of the interesting replies, but my question (apparently not clear) was related to big,deep scars that might translate into problems. Because I purchased a #2 (cosmetic defects) Dirigo 120 I was not concerned about the scratch-type scratches, only the deep stuff, of which I really have no so far.
Little colored "crayons"
After I got a used Prijon Twister, I visited the U.S. distributor’s office where I bought a replacement thigh strap (the old one broke when I tried to roll it) and a crayon-like stick of turquoise-colored plastic. The latter is said to be for repairing deep gouges.
But I have no directions on how to use the little crayon.
You can probably get something similar for your kayak, but make sure to get instructions. I know the process involves heat…could be tricky.
Plastic repair is tricky because it does
invole heat so the potential exist to cause more damage than you actually are trying to fix. I know that you can get plastic “welding” sticks for ATV fender/molding repair from Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki. But I think it is specific for a given TYPE/COMPOSITION of plastic. And of course, the color match is always an issue. Medium temp RTV will always work for filling in a gouge, but it really does nothing toward restoring the actual integrity of the material. If it does not go all the way through the material then it is probably better left alone. I would imagine that unless the gouge is very long and deep that it will not affect the integrity of the boat. Carry duct tape, paddle on.
Links to repair sites…
My boat also had some minor shipping damage (which translated to 30% off). There were 2 deep gouges in the hull, which did not bother me too much. I did eventually repair them, but not until I had to repair a hole in a different part of the hull (long story - portage gone bad!). All you’re really doing is melting plastic into the gouges/holes. Anyway, here are two links to sites that I found helpful for repairing plastic boats:
http://www.oceankayak.com/repair.html#p
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi?review=102316
You can get plastic “welding rods” from your manufacturer, and I used a basic heat gun (paint stripper) from any hardware store. The repairs don’t look pretty, but they keep the water out.
Good luck!
Pikabike
Isn’t the tiny crayon stick of torquois from Prijon supposed to fit in a hot glue gun? I think that is the purpose; check at lowe’s and Home Depot.
Ah, Mr. Roberts, a Mr. Shakespeare …
on the phone for you. Nicely done! I don’t think the Bard would mind at all.----Rich