I have spent a lot of time this year in-between fishing trips working on my kayak. I did this early on with mine. I formed mine pretty much the same way and cut it with my table saw using two guide rails so it turned out perfect. I formed it twice because I wanted to see if I could improve the form fit and I was able to get what I think was a beautiful fit. I also reheated the edges practicing first on scrap and got a very smooth transition from pvc to kayak. I did sand the transition further to make it really nice and perfect. I sanded the inside of the pvc to rough it up. I thought it would work well with the already roughed up keel. I used a light coating of jb-weld to hold it all in place over night. I propped the kayak on saw horses and used several cut blocks of metal as weights with bungee cords strapped around to insure pressure against it over night. I was willing to use some bondo if needed to insure the form transition but I didn't see where it would have done any improvement. The next day I removed the weights and all looked well. Mater of fact it looked so good I wished I had videoed the process. The transition appeared seamless. I plan on painting my kayak this winter so I decided to paint the bottom as a way to test my learned painting skills after studying all summer on how to pain a kayak. My attempt worked really well and it made the keel work done look really fantastic. Looks factory! I don't expect people to put the work in that I did but I use this kayak everyday and it has a long year in the water. I fish tournaments every week almost and I admit I am very rough of the bottom of my kayak. So for me to do this when needed it will save me a lot of money. I suspect if I ever need to do this again it will be way down the road. So the time I put in will be very well worth it and keeps some of my fishing winnings in my pocket. I am actually considering extending the work I did on the keel all the way down because this kayak has a decent ridge going all the way down the bottom and it looks just as worn as my keel. Thanks for the idea.
Nice video thanks for sharing!!! I use resentlly the fins of bicycle wheels as a front kayak protector!!! It was already courved and with a little heat modification it was perfect!!!
You sir, are a freaking genius. I have the exact same kayak, even the same color, and the boat ramps were killing my bow. Thank you for the brilliant DIY. I used gorilla heavy duty 30lb mounting tape, I have no doubt the thing is stuck on. The only mod I made was that I ran a bead of silicone around the entire thing to seal it and make it a little more hydrodynamic.
Don't remove all of the tape backing before you install the guard. Just start with a couple inches peeled back so that the backing can be removed as you press the guard into place. The side pieces are adhering and making it more difficult to fully seat when all the backing is removed initially. Depending on your keel profile, one might be able to peel the entire center tape backing and only peel the side tape backing as you proceed with the install.
Hey Buddy, I'm very interested in this process but I've learned not to get too excited youtube "fix its" without a year plus review. So, how about it. Can you show us the repair? Is it still on? Any good gouges? Thanks in advance.
Unfortunately I don't own one of the kayaks anymore but the other had to be reglued around 6 months. But the piece is still holding tough just needed to be re secured.
Love it man! I got sch 80 grey. Got a grey yak so all is good. Wanted the black ABS plastic pipe, but local supply didn't have it, or if they did, it was 20' and $18. I am too cheap for that.
Wear a respiratory mask when you heat up the pvc: “Although PVC is flame resistant, PVC products release toxic hydrogen chloride gas when heated. These corrosive gases can spread faster than flames, trapping building occupants before they have a chance to escape. Hydrogen chloride gas is lethal when inhaled.”
Looks great! I might try this. I used a pliable stick-on keel guard and it went on pretty sloppy around curves. I'm also afraid the irregular edges will slow me down. Is tape really the best way to adhere the guard to the keel? What about Marine Goop? I suppose JB Weld might be too difficult to remove if necessary?
I like your video and I like the last few comments from the other commentators, You mentioned that you reglued it again. Have you or anyone on here thought about Silicone adhesive or rubberized the PVC pipe prior to installation?
If I do this, I might try to feather the edges a bit to reduce drag. I like the trend of replaceable keel guards on newer models, but I purchased an older used kayak without this feature. The hull is pretty scratched up already, but solid enough, so I might experiment with trying to smooth it out a bit first.
We did a speed test and found the difference was not noticeable. The edges are feathered but could definitely use small amount of caulking, due to the thickness of the 2 way tape it will have small gap.
Probably wouldn't be noticeable over short distances, but drag would obviously be increased to some extent. It's not a bad idea, and any decrease in performance might be insignificant when weighed against the benefits. Still, any improvements would be worthwhile if you paddle all day. "The difference was not noticeable" is a misnomer, by the way. It would have to be noticeable in order to determine that there was any difference. You might have said "we noticed no difference," or "the difference was insignificant." The former would raise questions regarding test parameters, and the latter would be a relative determination.
That is awesome!! Did you use "automotive" double sided tape? That stuff has great adhesive on it... All kayak companies should make a solid pvc bow guard like that for their popular models. Id gladly pay upwards of $50 for a perfectly formed piece of rugged pvc to protect the bow from scraping. Either that, or beef up the plastic on the inside along the abusive sections of the keel to at least an inch thick. My bow section gets a lot of abuse from lifting from the rear to load the cart and from the cement boat ramp on the canal that I launch/land on. However, mine has a sacrificial keel keel block on the rear, why cant they make one for the bow...
Yes I did use 3m double sided tape, but be sure and use the 10 or 15lb because the 20 lb is thicker. That allows water to come in and deteriorate the adhesion faster.
We bought all of if from home depot, the pvc used is just electrical pipe.The heat gun allows you to cut it easily when heat is applied. I will try to screen shot the cart with all the supplies if possible
@@rpgoutdoors5022 fair point. If it sticks too well it's hard to replace. If it doesn't stick good enough it comes off to easily. But perhaps a proper watertight mounted bolt or rivet might aid in staying on.
I sealed a keel hole from the inside with a tube of DAP 100% silicone. Several months ago still dry. Stumbled across this video looking to plastic melt and reshape my keel properly. Will put these guards on after that. Thanks for the video
The tape will not hold in water very long. You should have used 5200 marine caulking. This also would have filled in the space that you see under the pvc. Sand the kayak and pvc lightly. Caulk it with 5200.
He answered that 5200 might be a little too permanent if keel guard wears/breaks and needs to be replaced. 3M 4200 seems like a good choice for that criteria.
@@rpgoutdoors5022 Good answer, makes sense. The 5200 can be pretty permanent. I understand 3M's 4200 would be removable without damaging the boat. Your method seems to work well and is inexpensive and approachable. Thanks for the helpful video!
Don’t drag your kayak or canoe on the ground...it’s like using 10 grit sandpaper on it when you do...😬 Float your craft parallel next to the shoreline or riverbank when getting in and out and you’ll never have to waste your time & money on repairs.✌️😃
@kratzerb...understood...I work part time renting canoes & kayaks at a lake & see A LOT of avoidable damage to the bow & sterns. Sounds like you’re going where “no one has gone before”! Almost forgot: “O.H.”....😃👍
Wish I would've seen this 3 months ago, I wore a 6 inch long 1 1/2 inch wide hole in the hull of my field and stream shadow caster 123, I didn't think the plastic was that thin or soft , kayak is only 3 months old n field n stream, and dicks sporting goods won't fo anything about it
If you look inside your kayak sometimes they leave pieces purposely for patching holes. I heat up a large wrench like one and a quarter size, and use the smooth end to mend up any holes or deep scratches.
Don't lift the bow when you drag it. Try to drag it flat rather than on the stern keel only. I put an extension on my front toggle handle for dragging.
