JB Weld keel guard

[king fisher]

After watching many You Tube videos on kayak keel guards I decided on JB Weld to protect my Kayak.  I decided on JB Weld because it was locally available, and easy to install.  I tried a small patch on the bow where most of the damage occurs.  After a couple  months the JB Weld held up better than I expected.  Today I added more on the places on my kayak that get the most scrapes and scratches.  I purchased the JB Weld at my local Home Depot, and it wasn't cheap but should last a long time.  I used 13 packs with the total cost around $70 at current exchange rates.  I wasn't able to find bigger tubes, so I had to buy the small packages.  Larger amounts would have brought the cost down, but like many things, finding the larger amounts was more difficult in Mexico than it would have been in the states.

 

I try not to abuse my kayak by dragging it over places that will damage the bottom, but I don't baby the boat.  I bought my kayak to use and after 5 years it definitely looks used. 

 

 

[casts_by_fly]

interesting.  I've not heard of that mod before.  I can understand why it would work, but that's a lot of tiny tubes to squeeze out and mix up.

 

Once you put it on, do you use a spackling knife or similar to square it and smooth it?  Maybe some duct tape for straight lines and edging?

[king fisher]

36 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

Once you put it on, do you use a spackling knife or similar to square it and smooth it?  Maybe some duct tape for straight lines and edging?

I used a table knife to spread it, an old credit card to smooth it out, and taped it off with blue masking tape.  I wanted to use sheets of a material called Gator guard, but It was going to be difficult to get here.  The JB Weld was cheaper, and is very durable.  It took some time time to apple but I am happy with the results.

[Bankc]

Interesting.  I wouldn't have thought that JB Weld would stick to HDPE very well.  It's great stuff and I use it all of the time, but I haven't found it to be effective on plastics.  I know it won't work on polypropylene.  But I can't recall ever trying HDPE, so maybe it does stick to that. 

I just throw Gorilla tape, or really any duct tape would probably work, over my keel.  It's easy, cheap, and works.  Though it does need to be replaced about once a year, as it will wear through.  And for deep scratches and holes on my kayak, I typically just plastic weld some scrap  HDPE onto it.  I've got an old 15 watt soldering iron that's perfect for that kind of stuff.  Though, I've also tried the method where you dissolve a bit of plastic into acetone to make a gooey paste.  Then brush some acetone onto the plastic you wish to repair and give it a minute to soften up that plastic.  Then apply your plastic paste and let it dry and harden.  I find that method better for large holes, as I can put a tape backer behind the hole to hold the gooey paste in place.  But it takes a day or three to fully dry and harden, so I often do the plastic welding method instead, as it's ready to go in a few minutes.  Then file or sand smooth, and you're as good as new!  If you can match the color, you can make it practically invisible. 

[king fisher]

56 minutes ago, Bankc said:

Interesting.  I wouldn't have thought that JB Weld would stick to HDPE very well

I was worried about not sticking as well.  I watched a few videos where they used JB Weld, and one where they showed how it held up after a year.  I don't trust what I see on video's, but was interested enough to give it a try on the bow.  It performed beyond my expectations.  The JB Weld sticks well to the plastic on my kayak, is hard enough to sand if I want to make it smooth.  I have made welds in the past with pieces of plastic buckets, and it works well, but I will try JB Weld in the future if I need to patch a hole or crack.

 

I did watch a video where a guy tested several different epoxies on plastic and measured their strength.  Surprisingly the original JB Weld was the strongest, and the JB Weld made for plastic did not perform nearly as well as the original.

[CountryboyinDC]

Good to know that JB Weld will adhere to polyethylene.  It makes the claim on the package but there are a lot of things that claim to adhere to "all plastics".  You made it look pretty neat too.  If you want to do it less often, you can use G/flex epoxy and some fiberglass or Kevlar fabric. It will take a little longer and cost a little more, but it will last longer. The G/flex does flex a bit, as it's name implies and thus is not as brittle as many epoxies.  It can also be used in cracks, but for polyethylene, so long as it's not crosslinked, you're better off welding it.  For Royalex (like found in canoes) the G/flex route is about the best thing going for canoes.

[RAM3139]

If it works for you, no need to change anything.  I made a keel guard out of kydex.  Cut a strip whatever size you want, form it with a heat gun, stick it down with lexel.  Took about 15 minutes and $15 with a bunch leftover should it ever wear out.  You can buy sheets on amazon for around $10