Not too long ago a bought a used Current Designs Gulfstream (kevlar version) in pretty good condition. There were some chips in the gel coat (on the bottom) where the kevlar was showing through so I filled those in and then polished out the bottom to remove some of the lighter scratches.
After the drive home from paddling today I noticed some long hairline cracks in the gel coat near the front hatch (along the side next to the hatch) and some spider cracks where the straps from the roof rack made contact with the hull. I’m assuming the hairline cracks were from the boat flexing while I was driving (I didn’t have the front/rear tied down and got stuck behind a tractor trailer) and the spider cracks were from over-tightening the straps.
Is it worth me repairing the hairline and spider cracks?
I’m currently using J-syle roof racks for the kayak, should I spring for new roof racks to transport it on the bottom or just tie down the from and rear?
I see a lot of short plastic kayaks being hauled around without front and rear tiedowns. The Gulf Stream is not one of those and I think most folks would recommend tiedowns front and rear. personally, I never tie any of my boats down with anything but soft nylon rope. But then I never haul them on top of a vehicle. A good trailer is much easier and better for the boats.
Sometimes spider cracks can be polished our, but sanding them out and replacing a little gel coat isn’t all that tough either.
I found it left a bit of a stain, but it works for the intended purpose. Or tenacious tape over the cracks, which you can always remove to do something fancier later.
@grayhawk I loving paddling it and it tracks like crazy. Just don’t know if it’s worth fixing the hairline and spider cracks since their cosmetic.
@magooch I got lazy and didn’t tie down the front/back and paid the price lol. I know I can get the color matched gel coat from Current Designs and had fixed a couple chips already so it’s simple enough
@Celia I like the idea of tenacious tape. I sow there’s Evercoat Gel Coat Repair and this stuff called MagicEzy. I don’t think either come in clear though.
Captain Tolley dries clear. It did a nice job on the spider cracks on the bow of a used kevlar CD Prana I purchased. A strip of KeelEazy was applied for additional protection.
A few coats also sealed a leak along the edge of my Werner Cyprus.
@Rookie I think the Captain Tolly’s may work. I’d still be able to see the cracks but that’s not a huge issue. Trying not to get the Current Designs Gelcoat repair kit and go through the repair process again since they’re just cosmetic.
