kevlar repair

-- Last Updated: Nov-10-05 12:20 PM EST --

I just purchased a used kevlar kayak(wilderness system) that arrived damaged.(top deck)..the boat is in Charleston,sc. anybody know a good repair facility or guy? My home is in NC mountains near SC line. I don't want an ugly repair. Thanks for any help or ideas. Joe

There is a guy named Crae Dalton

– Last Updated: Nov-11-05 12:53 AM EST –

in Columbus, or Columbia NC (I can never remember which) who runs or ran Bee Branch Boatworks. He might be persuaded to do the repair. I need to see if I still have an address for him. In advance of that, you could try Googling. His location was sort of west of Morganton, as I recall.

I could probably talk you through the repair, but it might not look "nice," just strong. Remember, a big, visible patch makes a boat much less likely to be stolen.

You might want to fix it yourself
Composite repairs are not hard,just a bit of work and commonsense. The tricky part would be matching the gelcoat colour but depending on the location of the repair,a strategically placed and customized decal will hide it well and look like part of the design.I have used artwork to hide flaws on various projects.



Bert

Kevlar repair
My friend had a gust of wind blow his new kevlar WS Eclipse off the roof rack before he had a chance to strap in down. It landed on the asphalt parking lot and crushed a portion of the keel at the prow. He searched all over the DC area for a boat shop that could or would repair it for a reasonable price and/or time frame. He ended up taking it to a local guy who does fiberglass repair on aircraft. He did a terrific job and for about half the price that the big boat places wanted. Just a thought.