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/ ***************************************************************************
'm not sure if this is good practice, but when I owned a plastic kayak, I ran a propane torch over the surface where there were lots of little furry bits...did the trick and no ill effects. I have been told that that's a good way to prep the surface for gluing. cya -----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net]On Behalf Of Rick Sylvia Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2000 12:00 PM To: 'paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net' Subject: [Paddlewise] Plastic Boat Repair Hello... My plastic boat is getting a little roughed up on the hull. No gouges or deep scrapes to speak of, but light scrathes and scuffing. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
A related question: is it possible to successfully re-paint a plastic kayak? Everyone I've asked has told me that there is no paint that won't flake off. Thanks, Richard *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 10/25/00 4:41:38 PM !!!First Boot!!!, Rick.Sylvia_at_ferginc.com writes: << 2) Okay, based on question #1 - do what? It's not like a car that you can buff, there's nothing deep to fill in, etc. Is there some sort or kayak wax or something to smooth it out? Better yet, being plastic, what would happen if I very carefully heated the hull with a heat gun just enough to melt the surface so that it would smooth itself out and cool down within a few seconds of removing the heat? >> I have used both a heat gun and a steam iron without the steam (flat iron). I prefer the iron to the gun. The iron produce a less concentrated heat and lower temp. If the scrathes produce fuzz, you might try shaving them with a single blade disposable razor. Bruce McC WEO *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 10/25/00 6:34:18 PM !!!First Boot!!!, rnonas_at_thing.net writes: << A related question: is it possible to successfully re-paint a plastic kayak? >> Paint or repaint. I have never seen a successful paint job to a poly kayak. Most plastic kayaks are not painted, pigment is added to the plastic during the molding process. It's kind of a what you see is what you get situation. Bruce McC WEO *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> From: Steve Cramer <cramer_at_coe.uga.edu> > > *--Not to be confused with GASP, our listmom's home away from PW :) For the curious, that would be Gulf Area Sea Paddlers: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/ ... my "home where the heart is" :-) Cheers, Jackie ____________ ____________ / \_________________nnn___________________/ \ | G A S P >---------------<VVV>-----------------< g a t o r | \____________/ | \ \____________/ | \ ___ ___ _ _ |_, )_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _/(0)\/(0)\/^\/^\/ /^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\ ~~ ~~~ ~ / ~~ ~~ \ --/ /---_-_- - - -- -- - - ^\ ~~ ~ ~~~ \ ~ ~ \/ - (- - - ( (- - /\ ) ^\ ~~ ~ \ ~ ~ A/ / / / / / / / / / ( / / ( ^^^^^^^^^^) ~ ~~ ~~~ \ ~ ~ A/ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ `~~~~~~ ~ ' ~~~ ( _at_ _at_ )/ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~ AwwwA// ~~~~~ ~~~~~~ `----' *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Clarification: My propane treatment was a brisk wave of the torch across the surface to melt the fuzzies but did not significant raise the temperature of the hull and was not detectable from the inside. I'd hate to feel responsible for contributing to an Art Nuveaux kayak.. cya *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
My apologies to our French speaking members..that should have been Nouveaux *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In addition to a clothing iron, one could try a "Monokote iron," used for heat-sealing the plastic film covering on model airplanes. The iron is much smaller, so might be more useful on hulls with hollow contours. I may dig mine out of the closet and try it on one of my old polyethylene boats. Mike Wagenbach "I like to get to work early, so I can discard a pet hypothesis before breakfast." -Konrad Lorenz I'd settle for Happy Hour. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 10/26/00 12:01:11 AM Pacific Daylight Time, dlloyd_at_telus.net writes: << Ask Duane, he should know! :-) >> Just beat the hell out of it until it sinks! No maintenance on the plastic hull. The fuzz and curls aren't really going to hurt speed that much. Duane *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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