Hello Paddlers: Seeking your experience and input. My Necky kevlar kayaks are showing their age and wear: keel wear through the gel-coat to the undercoat, not fabric; deck is weathered and dusty looking; heel wear inside the cockpit into the resin(?). Is West Marine a reliable place to the gel coat repair suplies? Any suggestions on how to be successful at it? Your recommendations on rubbing compound for the deck and subsequent protectant, wax(?) or "303"? Heel wear on kevlar. i remember reading that the resins are not compatable with fiberglass. True/False? Again is West Marine a good source for repair supplies/products? any other suggestions? Appreciate your response. Feel free to contact me of line or back line as appropriate. Thank you. John Horrell Santa Rosa, CA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John, West Marine would have everything you need. Just about any marine finish restorer would do fine on your deck, as long as it says on the label that it's safe for gelcoat. I once used a gelcoat restorer/rubbing compound on an old kayak (A necky, in fact) that had been stored outdoors in the sun for years, and it looked great when I was done. In fact, it's owner said they'd loan me a boat anytine I asked if they were going to come back looking that good. A good quality marine wax over the top will help keep it looking good. Look for something with UV protection listed on the label. As to your keel, you have two options: Gelcoat, or a keel strip. Personally, I use a keel strip made from epoxy thickened with fumed silica. It's tougher than gelcoat, and can be pigmented to match your hull if you like. Myself, I'm more concerned with performance than appearance. Many of my friends are now also adding graphite powder to the mix, to improve the life of the strip by making it less susceptible to abrasion. It does give you a black keel, though. Either epoxy or polyester resin will work, but my experience has shown that the epoxy strip lasts longer. YMMV. Wayne -- Wayne Smith wsmith16_at_charter.net Check out my website! http://webpages.charter.net/wsmith16/home.html *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Good moning Wayne - Thank you for your reply. i appreciate your information. i take it the keel strip material may be available through West Marine. i concur about preformance over appearance. Thank you again. Regards, John Santa Rosa, CA ARluk III and Tofino wsmith16_at_charter.net wrote: John, West Marine would have everything you need. Just about any marine finish restorer would do fine on your deck, as long as it says on the label that it's safe for gelcoat. I once used a gelcoat restorer/rubbing compound on an old kayak (A necky, in fact) that had been stored outdoors in the sun for years, and it looked great when I was done. In fact, it's owner said they'd loan me a boat anytine I asked if they were going to come back looking that good. A good quality marine wax over the top will help keep it looking good. Look for something with UV protection listed on the label. As to your keel, you have two options: Gelcoat, or a keel strip. Personally, I use a keel strip made from epoxy thickened with fumed silica. It's tougher than gelcoat, and can be pigmented to match your hull if you like. Myself, I'm more concerned with performance than appearance. Many of my friends are now also adding graphite powder to the mix, to improve the life of the strip by making it less susceptible to abrasion. It does give you a black keel, though. Either epoxy or polyester resin will work, but my experience has shown that the epoxy strip lasts longer. YMMV. Wayne -- Wayne Smith wsmith16_at_charter.net Check out my website! http://webpages.charter.net/wsmith16/home.html --------------------------------- Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John H wrote: > Thank you for your reply. i appreciate your information. > i take it the keel strip material may be available through West Marine. i concur about preformance over appearance. > Thank you again. John, The keel strip you'll have to make yourself, but it's real easy to do. Get some good epoxy, like MAS, Raka, or West System, and put an appropriate amount of the resin in your mixing cup. Add fumed silica (ALWAYS wear a respirator when working with this stuff if you value your lungs) until the resin is thickened enough to be the consistency of a thick latex paint, add graphite until it turns solidly black, and then add hardener and mix for at least 90 seconds. You can add more silica at this point if you think it needs it. The final goo should be thick enough that it won't run once applied, but thin enough to be just usable, too. Surface prep is easy. wash the area with acetone, sand with 150 grit paper, and mask it off. Then you're ready to apply. Put it on smooth and as thick as you want, and if you want the surface really smooth, you can put release film over it (Same stuff you'd use for gelcoat) and remove once the epoxy begins to harden. Myself, I sand it, or drag it up a few beaches -- same effect. I haven't noticed any drag from it being there, but then again, I don't race either. My last strip is 4 years old, and still mostly intact. (And I didn't use the graphite - it will last longer if you do). Great stuff. Wayne John H wrote: > Thank you for your reply. i appreciate your information. > i take it the keel strip material may be available through West Marine. i concur about preformance over appearance. > Thank you again. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John H wrote: > Your recommendations on rubbing compound for the deck and subsequent protectant, wax(?) or "303"? Further to Wayne's advice - some polishing compounds for fiberglass contain waxes. 3M for example (commonly available at places like West Marine). Two birds... > I remember reading that the resins are not compatable with fiberglass. True/False? More false than true. Polyester and vinylester resins won't stick very well to cured epoxy, but epoxy will stick to cured resin. Your Necky is likely made with vinylester resin - most good quality kayaks use that rather than polyester resin. Most gelcoats at marine supply shops are polyester, not vinylester. Ideally, you'd want a vinylester-resin-based gelcoat, but good luck finding one. For a keel repair, you can mix the fumed silica (Cabosil) into gelcoat instead of epoxy if you want an easy way to colour match. Be careful using fumed silica with either a resin or epoxy - it is very difficult to sand to shape compared to plain resin. You have to do your best to get the shape and surface finish as close to the desired finish as possible while the gunk is still wet - once cured you've got your work cut out for you. Most gelcoats on the market seem to be waxless. These are used in molds for boat building. When used for patching, they will not cure in air. You will have to cover the gelcoat with a barrier to the air. Household plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap) will work, though thicker plastic sheet will work better. Look for "release film" at the boat repair or auto repair supply shop. Alternatively, and a better choice, is to find a waxed gelcoat. The wax is added to provide an air barrier. No covering required. It is a tiny bit weaker than regular gelcoat, but not enough to worry about. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:45 PDT