Kayak repair

[canewitch]

I managed to crack the yak fighting a fish. Didn't realize it until I started taking on water. The question is, can I repair a 2" and a 5" crack in the hull? I see the repair kits are out there, but will I be happy with the result? Any experience??? Thanx, JJ

[bluewatr]

What is your yak made of?

[Bob Parsons]

will I be happy with the result?

if it can be fixed so it doesn't leak and you don't have to buy a new one , I be happy regardless of looks. key is getting the repair kit that best fits your yak and following instructions.

[canewitch]

The material would help, wouldn't it? Its fiberglass. I'm sure its one of those things I could do, just curious if there is a reason that I shouldn't, like performing open heart surgery on the dog.

[SamRiley]

I'd be concerned about the structural integrity of the yak... although it's not like it's going to snap in half or anything (we hope :eek: ). I haven't seen your yak yet. Is there a color that you have to match? If it's just white, I'd look into the glass repair section at a place like West Marine or Boaters World. I've got some books by Derek Hutchinson at home (he got a glass yak too) and I think that there is a repair section in one of them.

Here was some of what I came up with on Google
http://www.canoe-kayak.org/pages/how7.html
http://my.dmci.net/~wesboyd/fixglass.htm

[canewitch]

Thanx guys! So far everything I've found leads me to believe that glass yaks crack and get repaired-I saw a slide show by Chris Duff on his trip around New Zealand where his boat split in two and he had to repair it enough to pick up a new one! That's why you always carry popsicle sticks and duct tape...Fortunately it's the white hull so matching the color should not be a problem. I'll check out West Marine here-there's probably someone there who's done it and can just give me some pointers. I just don';t want to add running boards to it by mistake.

[ruge13]

The good news is you are right... fiberglass boats are the easiest of all to repair. There are lots of fiberglass repair kits on the market that are easy to use and inexpensive ($20) but for looks sake, if you have never worked with fiberglass before, just bring it to just about any marine shop and they should be able to fix it quickly, if not give you the name of a good guy that will do it. Cracks are simple to repair, its like holes in a rubber boat and strenght is not an issue as long as you allow the apoxy and glass to set. A good repair job can be almost invisable...

[Fishingman]

I'd be real leary about going out on the water in any boat that cracks and leaks "while fighting a fish".

[kalamaiofly]

How about obtain a new kayak. I think it wasn't supposed to break. --123-3

[Jacob K.]

fiberglass is easy to repair, and a lot of fun. Do not buy a repair kit. they come with weaved glass and that is much weaker than mat glass. buy a piece of mat glass (about a sq yard, which will last you your life) and some west systems epoxy and harnder. do you have a radial sander ie a grinder? you need one of those, and a dust mask, eye protection and gloves. you want to grind out the cracks. depending on how long they are, you want to fair from the crack (thinist part) to solid hull (thickest part). you will actually be making the hole bigger with the grinder. then you want to take the mat glass and cut peices that start a small and get a little bigger with each piece. you want to layer they up on the hole. take the smallest piece and paint the epoxy hardner mix on it. then apply to the hole. take the next one and paint and put on then the third.... keep going like this untill you have covered from the hole to where you stopped fairing it out. let dry. about 24 hours to be solid. it will be strong as new. now you need to gel coat it. you can buy gel coat kits at west marine. they are easy to use. also, you might want to pick up a video from west marine on how to do glass repair or how to use west systems. it is a really fun repair and then you get some knowledge on how glass is constructed. if you have any questions, please ask.
jacob

[AlanP]

buy a piece of mat glass (about a sq yard, which will last you your life) and some west systems epoxy and harnder.
jacob

I maybe blowing smoke (#$119) but if the boat is constructed with polyester resin stick with polyester. If it is epoxy construction then use the epoxy resin.

Any thoughts on this? :confused:

[Jacob K.]

epoxy is stronger than polyester. i would be very suprised if the boat was made of polyester. the best thing to do is to contact the manufacturer.

[BluesCruiser]

Just do it if you do not like the way it turns out sand it do it again if its small you can do it with sand paper by hand you don't need power tools but they are nice at speeding things up..go ahead give it a shot or ask someone at a body shop to do it on the side for cheap.. good luck ;)

[callum.boase]

A really useful website about fiberglass repair is http://www.kayak-repair-central.com/fiberglass-repair.html .

If you are worried about the repair looking ugly, you can get instructions about how to finish a fiberglass repair from the same website but at the link http://www.kayak-repair-central.com/gelcoat-repair.html

Hope this helps