[Paddlewise] Plastic Boat Repair

Rick said:.

<<My plastic boat is getting a little roughed up on the hull.  No gouges

or deep scrapes to speak of, but light scratches and scuffing.>>
<snip>

Ask Duane, he should know!  :-)

Seriously, my friend who owns a rental fleet of them (they are all 2 - 4

years old, and most companies turn them over once a year!) takes very
good care of his equipment, as part of his personal philosophy to combat

our wasteful society. He swears by the razor blade method, and washes
the boats well after each use, storing them out of the sun.

He also sends the boats from time to time, to the manufacturer, who has
a plasma welder (I think that is what it is called). It is about $60.00
per hour for the technician (US funds converted). They fill and colour
(color) match hull damage, including huge repair jobs right down to
small gouges. The work I saw was flawless. Very impressive.

Do not repaint plastic kayaks. Recycle at the end of their life
expectancy. Buy new or slightly used once again -- that is the idea.

On sort of a separate topic, I finally bought my wife (Yvonne) the
McNulty  "Huntsman" kayak that Natalie used up here. It needs a lot of
work to bring it up to my minimum standards, including beefing up and
new VCP hatches to replace the old screw-on ones, molding in a compass
mount, etc. We had considered a used plastic kayak, which go for cheap
here in the Fall, but I can keep a fiberglass kayak alive for as long as

I'm alive to keep it alive.

I will photo-document the process for those interested down the road
when it is finished. I do not have the time to build wooden kayaks at
the moment (my ultimate goal). The Huntsman is ultra-low volume from the

front of the cockpit back over the rear half, allowing my short-torsoed
"paddling partner" unrestricted movement of her elbows. It is a bit flat

bottomed for stability and catching surf, with highly flared in sides
under the waterline. The hull kind of reminds me of the new Necky river
kayaks in some ways. Yvonne also loved the boat  as it is a bit like the

Mariner kayaks, in that it turns easily, but course-corrects with due
vigilance. This may be the first boar my wife can paddle where she
doesn't need a rudder. It's gonna be a beauty when its done (bright
orange, which I believe is not attractive to Devil-Fish :-) ), and a
definite plus in our marriage. Now if I can just find the perfect
baby-sitter.

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd




***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************