Installing a new sacrificial strip should be easy and relatively cheap (especially if you're not too concerned about appearance). First get some epoxy from System Three. West Systems or Raka. (All have web sites, but Raka at www.raka.com has the largest selection of cloth, cheap epoxy, etc. Raka also has kevlar cloth, kevlar tape and various types and weights of fiberglass tape.) Also order or buy one of the West Systems books on boat repair (about $6 as I recall...great primer and a very good investment). In a nutshell: You'll need to rough up the surface with 80 grit sandpaper (using a face mask to avoid breathing the dust) to ensure a good mechanical bond. Pull the tape before putting it on to remove wrinkles. Brush some epoxy on the roughened surface. Bed the tape into the epoxy and then brush on enough epoxy to wet out the tape (make it clear). To get the best job, squegee off the excess epoxy and let it dry...apply a couple more coats of epoxy waiting no longer than 24-48 hours between coats (otherwise you'll have to sand again). For additional info, there's a newsgroup called something like "rec.boats.building"...I've learned a ton from the folks there. Guillimot kayaks also has an outstanding bulletin board with repair tips for all types of boat construction and repair. "Ask and ye shall receive..." *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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