I have NRS neo covered with some fabric sprayskirt. It is developing holes in the increased usage areas, especially in the back - tow belt buckle rubs against it.
Now, I do not mind getting another sprayskirt, but I suspect the issue is going to pop up again. Some manufacturers produce kevlar reinforced sprayskirts - kevlar fabric is placed on some frequent abuse areas.
Did anyone try to deal with this issue?
Where did you get fabric, what sort of adhesive was used, etc.
Tx
Hmmm, why Kevlar?
Kevlar has poor abrasion resistance. It wears and gets fuzzy easily. Whatever is wearing through your skirt now would probably make easy work of Kevlar too.
Most wetsuits use some other material around the knees and butts of wetsuits for abrasion resistance. This would be the stuff to find and glue down on your skirt.
People seem to think Kevlar is a magic material that can do just about anything well. Kevlar is a great material for adding impact resistance without adding much weight. That’s about it.
Be leary of any product that has Kevlar added for any purpose other than impact resistance. Kevlar is sometimes added to products simply for its marketing magic. Kevlar sea kayaks for example. If it sells kayaks, it is savvy marketing to also use the Kevlar brand name to sell spray skirts. I swear you could probably make anything out of Kevlar and paddlers would buy it.
Wear
If you know of a sail maker in your area take the sprayskirt to them. They can sew some treated elkhide on the wear spots. It is a light grey color. Wears like iron. Vaughn Fulton
no argument
This is exactly why asked - if you don’t know what you are looking for, you will never find it 
You could also
just smear some Aquaseal on the worn area if it isn’t worn too bad. I use Aquaseal on many items I have that start to get wear areas.
Agree about the “magic” status of Kevlar
but in fact Kevlar does not wear easily. Kevlar fibers provide tremendous resistance to tearing. The fuzzing is evidence of the fact that the fibers don’t just break or shear off at the surface when they are worn through.
The manufacturers using Kevlar for sprayskirt reinforcement actually know what they are doing, and the results in the field justify their choice.
One doubt I have about Kevlar used on the “outside” of a boat or as part of a neoprene skirt is that the Kevlar is really TOO strong for the application. Sometimes it is better for a surface reinforcement fiber to break or wear off, rather than refuse to snap so that it tears back into the substrate. This, in my opinion, is one reason that my S-glass/epoxy skid plates outperform Kevlar mat skid plates.
Back “when,” little bottles of goop were available that could be painted on potential wear areas of a sprayskirt. This was done while the sprayskirt was on the boat rim. The goop set up into a smooth, flexible, somewhat tear-resistant surface, reinforcing the Nylon surface of the skirt and tending to keep things from digging into the Nylon and neoprened. I still have a bottle of the stuff, but have never tried it. I seem not to wear sprayskirst as much as some people.
Only problem I have with Aquaseal for
wear areas is, it is too tacky. Abrading objects will tend to stick to it and cause stress outside the area of the Aquaseal.
I have used aquaseal successfully for some holes or tears in skirts, but it has worked well for me only in areas that are not subject to abrasion.
If there were a way to surface Aquaseal with a slippery, non-tacky coating, it would look much better as a repair for friction and contact areas.
Not to “blame the victim,” but
when you get around to your next sprayskirt, you might check over every aspect of how you rig things over and around the skirt, and how you may contact the skirt while using your paddle.
Maybe I haven’t had problems with skirt wear in part because I’m very tall, and my paddle shafts (in kayak or c-1) just don’t hit the cockpit rim very often. Real whitewater hair boaters in my acquaintance are GOING to bang that cockpit rim, because they’re getting thrown around and fighting back against turbulence so much. They have been a good part of the market for Kevlar reinforcement.
We should consider that Kevlar may do less as a friction/impact barrier than it does in its traditional role to prevent catastrophic failure. Kayakers on extreme steep creeks can tolerate a bit of skirt leakage, but a catastrophic tear can put them in a bad position. The right sort of Kevlar reinforcement can prevent a catastrophic tear in a way that no other widely available fabric can do.
sure
I have pressure cuts in my sprayskirt due usual bang ups - over the boat rescues in more interesting conditions, those are ~waves happen~ type of failures.
The one that I would like to avoid is a friction hole behind my back. I carry tow belt pouch forward - it allows for easier movement, laybacks, etc. Unfortunately, due to possible shortness of my torso, that makes the quick release buckle rub the spraydeck. At least that is my explanation for the increased wear in that area.
Try moving the tow belt to your side
That worked for me and I no longer get holes in my skirt from the QR buckle. Plus the tow is just as easy to deploy as wearing it in the front.
I throw mine to the front while I’m putting the skirt on and then move it to the side. When I deploy the tow line, I rotate the belt so that the bag is now in the back.
easy fix for tow belt wear area on skirt
I had this problem.
Then I attended a rescue class.
The instructor ( without discussing this issue ) told us to put the tow belt on with the bundle facing forward / on your lap.
Its easier to get your hook out, more comfortable, and wont wear at the small of your back.
Its definalty the way to go.
Stuff sold to coat tool handles
It comes in a 12 oz can. Paints onto neoprene very easily. Put the skirt on the boat and paint the area behind you. Do a couple of coats. While you’re at it, cover the area just above the coaming and in about 2" to prevent those pinch cuts. I have it on most of my skirts.