Broken Kayak - Kayak Welding

I pulled my Riot Booster out of my garage to let my buddy paddle that, while I paddle my playboat on Sunday (Hen-Tag, BTW, never seen it that high, pretty cool. Also, checked out the Cow Wave, not great at 1950). As we're getting ready to get into the water, I noticed a massive crack on the bow of my Booster! Shit. Luckily, I had duct tape; patched it up and he was fine. No leaks. But, does anyone know if you can 'weld' a cracked kayak? Does anyone here in the Wasatch Front do those type of repairs? Thanks!

I could help you weld it, if you get the boat to Riverdale.
Bill
8O1 6O8 1357


A KC welder pro model is the best tool I am aware of for welding kayaks.
http://www.urethanesupply.com/kcwelder.php
I bought one of those welders recently, after a friend gave me some welding lessons on my cracked Jefe Grande (thanks Jeff!)

Sweet! Thanks Bill, I'll give you a call soon.

Brook

In my opinion the KC plastic welder is a very inefficient way of welding plastic. I have tried that method, and you often end up with lack of penetration, lack of fusion, and cold lap on the base material. The best way seems to be the way Liquid Logic recomends by using a heat gun that you can control the temp. I welded four cracks on my Jefe, and have been on the Green Narrows, and Chattooga twice since, hitting every little boof rock, and hitting rocks that I did not want to hit. The welds have held so far. The heat gun allows you to control the heat more, deeper penetration, and leaves a cleaner weld.

Here is a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bos4lfOA3k

That is an interesting video; might get better penetration that way. He just welds one side with the heat gun method?
My Jefe is getting alot of cracks these days; plenty to practice on.

Cool! Not sure how much longer I want to rely on Duct Tape. I had tried Salt Lake Surf Co. since I live in Sugarhouse, but they said they won't repair boats other than what they sell there.

Brook

You could upgrade to Gorilla tape.

I thought Gorillas hated water?!?! Do they know how to swim?

Jeff can also help you weld it back together send him a message im sure he is willing to help.

Sid at Sidsports in SLC does boat welding. Although he will charge you for it, he does good work.

I limped my boat along on Gorllia Tape for two weeks. This is what I did. Take a cheap "Who Gives a Shit What Brand it is" soldering iron with a 1/8 in pointed tip. Drive that into the ends of the crack making two holes. Then take it and run it down the seem to some what seal it. (This will be cut away when you weld it for real.) Take rubbing alcohol, and rub it all around your cracked area, and where you plan to tape. Allow it to dry. Then cover with Gorilla Tape on a larger area than the crack. Do multiable layers that interlock. Then you can take a hair dryer or a low heat heat gun (Under 400 degrees), and heat the Gorilla Tape so it will stick, and seal better. I did not use the heat gun because I was lazy, and planned on welding the boat shortly. It is not rocket science. If they can do it on an expedition run with a camp fire, and cock pit rim plastic you can do it with all of the above.

I've had a crack on the bottom of my boat for over a year now. I've never welded it because I've been curious what could fix it without welding it. Results so far:
Super glue to fill crack- no good.
Spray paint to fill crack- no good.
Dripping melted plastic into crack- no good.
Two-part epoxy in/around crack- no good.
However, a vigorous layer of silicone adhesive sealant, on the inside, has kept the water out since March...interesting.

So the question is why not just weld it in 5 minutes instead of a lifetime of bad fixes?

Answer: Curiousity.
It's just a small crack, on a well-abused boat, why not spend a couple bucks and experiment a little bit. The crack's right under the seat though, which might be affecting the results.

My boat doesnt have a crack in it. YESSS!!!

The stickiest, most water-durable tape I have come across is Tyvek water proofing tape from Lowes. Packrafters use it for permanent repairs and always bring a role with them on expeditions. Maybe it would work for a hardshell

Great to know. I took my boat out at lunch today and got into Slag Hole on the Jordan. THe Duct Tape had still held since 2 weeks ago, but until i can get up to Riverdale and have Bill have a look at it/fix it; the Tyvek might be a better option. Thanks Scott!

I used a p-tex (ski repair) candle to fix a gouge in a WS EZ, by layering the p-tex in, letting it cool, then doing it again and again. I over filled it, then sanded away the excess. Didn't fall out and seemed to work, but it may be a different kinda plastic...