Kayak crack help

[WGentry]

Yesterday I found a crack in my Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120. Too much dragging has caused the keel to wear down enough that a 2 inch hairline crack has formed and is letting in water. I watched a couple of YouTube videos about heating pieces of polyethelene buckets (like the ones from Home Depot or the like) over the hole to create a plastic weld. Hoping someone here can help with some guidance. Thanks in advance.

[TnRiver46]

Plastic weld is also available at hardware stores or Walmart 

[Bankc]

I just use a 30 watt soldering iron, a cheap one that I bought specially for plastics since it'll ruin any soldering iron you use.  

 

What exactly are you needing help with?  It's pretty easy to do.  Well, it's easy to do it so it works.  Doing it so it looks like new is pretty difficult.  

 

You can also use make your own glue to glue it back together.  Just take some small scraps of that bucket and place them in a jar of acetone and let it sit for a day or two.  The acetone will melt the plastic.  Try to balance the mixture so you get a nice, thick goo.  Then apply the goo into the crack.  The acetone in the mixture will melt the kayak a bit, and when it evaporates, the plastic in the kayak and patch will harden as one piece.  I actually prefer the soldering iron method, as it's easier to control and quicker, but there are some instances where the chemical method is better.

 

I'd avoid glues and epoxies.  HDPE has a very low surface energy, which means very few adhesives will bond to it, long term.    

[WGentry]

Thank you very much. I appreciate the information.

[TOXIC]

There is a product made by Gator Guard (same makers of the keelshield) called Gator Patch.  It’s specifically for your problem. 

[J Francho]

Gorilla Tape.  I'm only half kidding - it works well in a pinch.  There's a bevy of videos out there detailing repairs on a rotomolded kayak that can be found using a simple search.

[CountryboyinDC]

On 10/7/2021 at 2:14 PM, J Francho said:

Gorilla Tape. 

There's Gorilla tape (the stuff you use to fix pool liners) in every kayak and canoe I paddle, if it's a tough walk out where I'm going.

 

Unfortunately @WGentry, I suspect you're right, the keel toward the stern is wearing thin.  that that happen with my WS Ride, and I tried the plastic bucket thing, which made it last several more trips.  WS does sell welding rods, I suspect they're little better than the ones from Walmart, but they may match your boat better.  https://www.wildernesssystems.com/us/products/weld-rod-stock-wildy-kayak-repair-10-pack-blue

 

Welding polyethylene has some of the same principles as metal.  Relief holes at the ends of the crack seem counterintuitive, but will keep the crack from lengthening.  It's best to bevel the edges of the crack if you can.  I agree with @Bankcthat epoxies are hard to get to adhere to polyethylene, but if you wanted to try one my choice would be G Flex.  https://www.westsystem.com/specialty-epoxies/.  I've helped my neighbor fix a crack in his Royalex canoe with G Flex

that has held pretty well.  

[bulldog1935]

HDPE is so totally cross-linked and so smooth, there's nothing for glue to stick to or react with. 

 

A thought about the weld repair. 

Just like welding metal, practice makes perfect. 

 

If you have a local kayak livery, some of them may rent hundreds of boats every weekend, and they likely have great experience welding hull cracks. 

Here on the San Marcos River, TG canoe & kayak used to offer the weld repair service, until his insurance made him quit. 

But at a kayak rental, you may be able to find someone who can do this really well. 

[TOXIC]

Here is what is on the Gator Guard website:

 

QUICK FIX FOR A PERMANENT SOLUTION

• Gator Patch is a UV Cure Fiberglass Reinforced Repair Patch
• Watertight, Impenetrable Repair Patch, Kayak Keel Guard, and Skid Plate
• Available in 4 sizes: 3"x6",6"x9", 9"x 12" and new 3"18" Kayak Keel Guard
• A Prep-Peel-Stick application that cures simply with UV light in under an hour
• Will bond to metal, fiberglass, wood, plastic and virtually anywhere you need protection
• Repairs almost any surface, moldable around flat or curved areas, dents, joints, or angles
• Made With Pride in The USA.
• Perfect in or out of the water!  Great for any Fiberglass or Aluminum Boat, Kayaks, Canoes, Containers, Tanks, Plumbing, and more!
• Can be drilled, tapped, sanded, or painted within an hour

Gator Patch™ is easy to use and apply with our Prep-Peel-Stick application. Cures simply with UV light in under an hour. Gator Patch comes with the extraordinary bonding and reliability promise that 100,000s of clients have known for over 20 years.

Available in 4 sizes: 3"x6", 6"x9", 9"x12" and a new 3"x18" Kayak Keel Guard - suitable for any patch, repair, or hull protection.

[WGentry]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to try this gator patch and see how well it holds up.

[bulldog1935]

this is a fiberglass (ok, kevlar fiber) kayak. 

 

The resin is epoxy, which is also glue - kind of easy to see why glue glues to it. 

 

[CountryboyinDC]

5 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

HDPE is so totally cross-linked and so smooth, there's nothing for glue to stick to or react with. 

Kayaks are rarely made of cross linked polyethylene these days - I think Jackson even quit making whitewater boats of XLPE about 8 or 9 years ago.  https://coloradokayak.com/blogs/cks-blog/the-truth-about-cross-linked-versus-linear-plastic/  The old Jacksons crack, good luck finding a plastic welder who will touch it.  It won't hold much of anything.  The WS boats, to my knowledge, never used XLPE though.  

I'd like to hear how that Gator Guard works.  I see it in on banner ads pretty often.  

 

[bulldog1935]

people on TKF use it for drag guard on the back of their keel, but I wouldn't trust it as a structural repair.

[WGentry]

Maybe a plastic weld with the gator patch on top?