I bought my Wilderness Systems Cape Horn 17 early last year from a dealer that had used it as a demo boat. Unfortunately, when the dealer was setting up lines that run around the entire boat where he drilled through the thickened "stringer" section to run the lines he also penetrated the hull. So in 3 or 4 areas where the lines pass through the holes, water can dribble into the fore and aft compartments. Not enough to be alarming, but after a full day on the water there may be a couple of cups of water in there which is just sort of a pain in the butt. It really become a problem when I heavily load the kayak for a multi-day trip and the holes are very near the water-line.. I want to plug the holes with some sort of "caulk" but am wondering what would be appropriate for a rotomolded boat? I would imagine it has to be somewhat flexible since heating and cooling of the plastic would cause cracking in something too hard. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
BeachAV8R
Small hole repair
I tend to use Silicone caulk, which can be bought at any hardware store. It’s flexible, resistant to salt water and usually clear, so it doesn’t show.
Marine Goop would be my
recommendation. It sticks to poly very well and is very tough when it dries. Case in point: the thingy that holds the spray nozzle in our shower cracked . I glued it with Goop and it lasted 3 years before it failed again and it gets a lot of stress.
welder
Ideally you would have the holes welded. The poly plastic is easily welded with a glue gun with a p-tex or kayak repair stick (EZiest). Or you can get a welder made specifically for boats through www.urethanesupply.com. They sell everything you need and it’s reasonable. A decent kayak shop should have a welder, as well.
goops, glues and silicones will not work if you plan on using the decklines. I’d weld and re-drill.
steve