I had a friend ask me a interesting question about repairing his boat. Odly enough he had a rat knaw 2" diameter hole in his plastic boat. Anyone have any suggestions for repairing this? I thought maybe glassing over it but was not sure if fiberglass would stick to the plastic. Thanks for any suggestions.
Dan
This might work
Not sure about a 2-inch hole, but gouges can be filled by dripping melted plastic from a milk carton into the gouge. Find something to back the inside with (maybe duct tape) and then fill the hole with melted plastic.
Good luck.
Alabama Small Boats
– Last Updated: Jun-08-05 2:23 PM EST –
...has pieces of plastic saved from worn out kayaks (rentals) they use to melt down and fill small holes and dents, but 2" holes?...hmmm...don't know...
Where is the hole located? Be bad to patch a hole that's below waterline and have the patch fail...
If I was going to do it, I'd use a hole saw, like one they use to drill holes for doorknobs to round out the hole to a known size, then cut a hole out of the same type plastic to insert in the opening...fill in the seam with melted plastic or marine epoxy, then cover the inside and out with fiberglass.
But I'd be leery of it even after....
Weld it…
According to my hubby, you can weld plastic boats.
You can buy a plastic welder and do it yourself, Or look around for someone that has one.
The plastic welders are not very expensive.
I think we bought ours from Harbor Freight for under $50.
Hope this helps.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41592
This site has plastic rod in better colors.
http://www.heatgunkit.com/
Doing an online search on welding plastic kayaks will bring you some tutorials as well.
might work after all…
So cutting a plug as I suggested above, then welding the seams…hmmm…might work after all…
Plastic welding
Plastic welding is a bit of an art. It’s fairly easy to melt bigger holes than you are trying t fix.
But with a two inch hole maybe you have nothing to lose?
It might be worth asking around localy to see if there is someone in the biz. Try your local paddling shops for starters.
Didn’t Do It Myself…
I had the seat moved back in my poly Tempest. The guy who did it had to drill a couple of new holes and weld a couple over. The welds are nearly impossible to see. Check out a good boat dealer.
You might try
some of the local motorcycle shops. There are a few guys around that do plastic welding on Sportbike fairings. Might work on a boat.
call your kayak company
and see if they will sell you a small piece of plastic to repair the boat. Then you are welding the same materials together, and you might get some sympathy welding tips with that story. Yuck, I hope that wasn’t in your friends home!!!
FYI - I bought a used kayak for peanuts with a hole in it, and took some excess plastic from when I had drilled out for a rod holder and melted it into the hole, and it worked fine. I was able to borrow a shrink wrap gun for the job, but if you aren’t careful, you will melt your kayak.
Adhering a glass patch to poly???
good luck. maybe if you are going to throw down for a kit fron north sea resins but not with a standard set up.
Thanks
thanks all for your Ideas. I will pass it on to him.
Dan
plastic welding
If your going to weld in a plastic patch, check with your boat manufacturer…I know some will provide you with the exact material and color as in your craft. I’ve heard that Hobie provides the material free of charge for their products…maybe postage.