Re: [Paddlewise] Ocean Going Hydro Spa

   Dave Kruger is a chemistry wizard, and can fix anything made
of plastic. He's your man.

Brad

Quoting Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>:

> Joined Ken and Lenora for a paddle today. Had to dig out my brand new
> $15 nylon spray skirt, because my usual skirt seemed to be leaking like
> a sieve. You wouldn't be surprised if you ever saw it! On my last RG
> paddle, I'd been shipping a lot of water and left early. I was glad when
> I landed and looked over my boat, there didn't seem to be any scratches
> deep enough to leak, so I decided a new spray skirt was becoming a
> necessity.
>
> So Ken and I launched from the SB and headed over to pick up Lenora at
> China Cove. By the time I got there, my boat was filling with water and
> no way was it coming from my spray skirt! We stopped at the beach and
> neither Ken nor I could find any obvious leaks, so I started wondering
> if it was my footpeg screw holes. Anyway we paddled on.
>
> Ken high tailed it outside while Lenora and I sped for the rocks.
> Extreme low tide and little wave action made for an uninspiring paddle.
> I did manage to get washed up high and dry by one wave and took a bit of
> time getting loose. At BAR, I paddled through a wash/crawl over on the
> outside reef. Just as I came out, a rather rogue wave gave Lenora a
> rough time, but she handled it with aplomb. I was able to find a
> washover near Chute Rock, but pickings were small, so Lenora decided to
> put in some miles and find Ken while I hung out by the rocks.
>
> After a while, I used the chute as a dry dock to get out and sit on the
> rock to wait for K&L. I finally gave up on them and launched for home,
> but they caught up with my when I hit the jetty. We parted ways with
> Lenora and ended up landing on the dock back at the SB.
>
> My boat was once again filled with a lot of water, so I planned to
> really go over the hull to see what was leaking, but as I got out of my
> boat, I could see the culprit. Although almost impossible to see on the
> outside because of all the scratches, inside against the smooth plastic
> is a 6 inch long crack in the plastic! It's just a faint line, but it
> goes all the way through just below the waterline at about knee level.
> Haven't ever heard much on the subject of repairing plastic kayaks, but
> my main thought is to drill a small hole at each end of the crack to
> prevent further splitting. Maybe groove it out and weld some plastic
> back in. Anyone have any experience with plastic welding?
>
> Sure, a brand new Delphin would solve the problem, but the way I've been
> playing lately, no new boats for me!
>
> Mark
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