I have used various adhesive backed tapes to protect the bow and stern areas of my composite sea kayak with mediocre results. It helps during surf landings and launches.
Does anyone have a tape they want to recommend?
Paul
Duct tape works perfect unless
you are looking for something more permanent.
You’ll have to keep replacing it as it wears off.
We have used it several times on the stern and bow hull during low water river races.
cheers,
jackL
suggestions
Hi this topic has come up b4…there’s a product called keelguard that might be of help. just google it up …it’s a thick, narrow rubbery strip that attaches to bottom of a boat. also there’s a product used to protect laboratory countertops from chemical spills, that’s looks and feels like a cloth teflon substance called “Bytac” and it adheres to a object …i just don’t know how waterproof it is. and it’s real expensive.
Forget about tapes
There isn’t anything that you can easily stick on your boat that’s going to protect it well. I’ve tried tapes and I looked at Keel Guard, but it’s really thick (~1/4") and obviously designed for “big boats”. A fiberglass keel strip is a common solution. A less common one is to have someone apply spray-on pickup truck bed liner material.
Trimbrite
Cabelas sells it - probably a lot of auto parts stores would also. 6" wide/adhesive backing $20 - you can cut it in half with scissors to have 3" strip if that suits better.
I put some on the bottom of my bats - so far its lasted acouple of years, though I don’t grind the bow into the beaches.
Works great to patch the hole in one pane of a double pane window that that the lawnmower got mad at and threw a rock at.
Cross country skiis have tape on bottom
Works for me but removal might remove paint. maybe a solvent to remove just glue but not paint
Teflon tape
keel strip
Put on a conventional keel strip. No stick on tape will work nearly as well.
There’s a reason these have been used for so long, they work.
Bill H.
Just wondering
I’m wondering something. Do you feel you need this extra protection for structural integrity? Or just to protect the gel coat itself from being worn down by regular usage? I ask, because I have a 12 year old fiberglass/gel coat boat that’s been launched and landed in the surf, dragged along beaches, and even bounced off of rocks and sea cave walls countless times, and all I’ve ever had to do is occasionally replace a bit of gel coat (just a couple of times in 12 years–as most of the scratches and gouges are no big deal). It has always been my understanding that the gel coat is the protection for the fiberglass, so I’ve never bothered to look for extra layers of protection for the protection.
If I’ve misunderstood your intent with this extra layer of protection, please correct me. Otherwise, I’d say to just enjoy your boat, and enjoy the reminders of your adventures that it collects along the way. When the gel coat gets worn down too much here and there, just apply a bit more, and continue using the boat. The only way to completely protect your boat from wear and tear is to keep it in a glass case and never paddle it. Where’s the fun in that? 
Melissa