7 Easy Kayak Repair Techniques

There are businesses that specialize in kayak repair, and at times you might need their services. Nonetheless, you can do much of the kayak repair yourself, as long as you know the proper techniques. The right techniques are vital, as you don’t want your repair coming apart when you’re in the water.

1. Assessing the Damage

If the damage to the kayak is bad, you need to be honest in your assessment of it. Is it worth attempting a kayak repair? In some instances it won’t be. When that happens, you’ll need to contact a local business that deals in plastic recycling to dispose of the kayak. It’s better to be harsh in your assessment rather than risk your life later.

2. Cleaning

You have to give the area to be repaired a proper cleaning before the kayak repair really begins. For this you’ll need isopropyl alcohol applied with a small brush. Clean the entire area and then rub it with a cloth that’s free of lint. Before moving on allow it to dry fully, as the alcohol is flammable.

3. Equipment

You need the correct equipment to execute a proper welding repair. Go for a polyethylene welding rod and a welding heat gun with a nozzle. This will allow you to give careful direction to the heat. Remember that you’re dealing with plastic, a material that melts easily when heated, so you need to be very careful.

4. Heating the Rod

Train the flame from the heating gun onto the polyethylene rod. You need to keep the heat directed onto the rod until you can see it begin to bead and melt. At this point you should hold the rod so it’s about ½ inch behind the crack in the kayak hull. Angle the rod toward the crack.

5. Sealing

Hold the rod’s melted tip against the cleaned surface of the kayak. You have to train the nozzle of the heat gun on the base of the rod where it meets the kayak. The flame should be between 1 inch and 2 inches from the rod. The distance will be dependent on the heat setting of the gun. If there’s any indication that the kayak surface is warping or melting, pull the flame away.

6. Welding

As you push the rod forward, small beads of plastic will form in front of it. These come from the rod and the plastic surface of the kayak melting together. Work along the entire length of the crack, then go ½ inch beyond that. Pull the heat away and turn off the heat gun. Take a pair of wire cutters and clip off the polyethylene rod as close to the kayak as you can manage. Wear gloves and then smooth the plastic, which will still be soft, into the crack for the kayak repair.

7. Testing

Having completed the kayak repair, it’s important that you test it before you put the kayak in the water. Give the kayak time to cool. After that, try to pry the weld off with a flathead screwdriver. If it’s solid, it won’t move. If it comes off, redo the weld. Where it’s solid, sand the weld down so it’s flush with the kayak.