DIY Kayak Fix: How To Repair A Hole In Your Kayak With Plastic Welding

[@Saltstrong]

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[@davidcolburn2604]

FINALLY! Someone who gets right to the point! No needing to listen to 20 min. of useless info about about who he is, his hobbies, how he figured out how to fix it, blah, blah blah. Just the facts! I loved this guy.

[@Saltstrong]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@saxet9049]

The hull needs to be clean and both the patch and hull material need to be heated to adequate temperature for proper bonding. This is why your “patch” is pealing off and leaking.

[@trvman1]

Came here looking for ideas. I am going to try a heat gun. That should melt the plastic easily and can probably put on patches rather then little pieces.

[@ericsaltonstall8573]

I did get some useful information from this video. I didn't know the type or grade of plastic or where th o get it, until now. But, how did he know? Why not clean kayak inside and out? Apply patch materials inside and out; sandwich patching. I think because of the potential of scraping the boat bottom on hard surfaces like a rock. I think sandwich patching adds not only strength but helps to keep the patch in place longer. Could keep a leak slow, instead of loosing patch altogether. Yes, I am aware of hard place to get to, but I am going to try mine. Where to buy and prices, glad that was pointed out too.

[@allbunsglazing]

This isn't actually 100% correct. Exposure to the salt strong theme song can actually severely damage hdpe and should be avoided.

[@Plexus37]

Have the same plastic welding kit. Works great, but you need to make sure the original surface is clean and also melted to same temperature as the new material for it bond well. New material will not bond to cold plastic very well. I use in conjunction with a heat gun to keep some temp in the work area.

[@wjsnail4243]

Gotta combine that with flex seal on the inside if you can get to the spot, creates a watertight seal

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for the tip!

[@lorieakins2843]

Used flexseal had a kayak that sunk

[@threearrowsadventures]

I did this to mine following your instructions, and it worked great!! No leaks! Thanks for sharing!

[@LovingIdaho]

I used a wood burner . It worked perfect . Before that , I used a propane torch . I really liked using the 1 gallon oil containers . Nice and thin so fast to work with . i fixed the hole and then added a keel guard from the used oil containers . It looks so nice with the blue camo kayak and the dark blue keel guard . You can also contact most manufacturers and they will send you rods to match the color of your kayak . I had saved all the material from drilling or cutting for add ons from my kayak for the last 7 years . So , the outside repairs from my hole matches color from my kayak . Inside , I used wire mesh and used oil container .

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for sharing!

[@tchrishoward]

Sand the hull first Preheat the hull with a heatgun for better fusion. be careful not to overheat it though

[@tomwalling5796]

I ended up buying a heat gun as well as the welder. [also make sure you have sand paper and tin snips for the mesh]After repairing one hole, I couldn’t imagine doing it without the heat gun. The plastic is so rigid and the heat gun helps form fit it around the keel. Also pre-heating the hole area on the kayak definitely helps it weld together.

[@zbutler111]

If you had cleaned all of the old residue from the old patches off before welding on top of it, you would have had a much better chance at a waterproof weld.

[@shastabum]

Can't believe you did that over the filth. Craftsmanship 101 dude

[@Warrenwilds]

Great Job! It is also great to see your setup. Not throwing off on super expensive yaks and gear, but you hammer big fish constantly with a very basic setup! I really urge people to use what they have and go fishing. There is so much to learn from that. You guys put out great content and urge people to keep it simple and learn technique. Keep it up brother!!!

[@romavo]

100% waterproof: Buy a caulk tube of 100% silicon. Put the kayak sitting up on the ground. Elevate the opposite of the keel hole at an angle so your inside keel cavity is some what level. Fill up with silicone. Wear some gloves an smooth out. Let it dry. Smell will disappear in a few days. Been riding like that several months. My hole was about 1/2 a pinky size. I am about to do your step as my second part. Thanks for the video.

[@jordanfolds4288]

Can you send a link to what you used?

[@Manuel_Z_Kayaks]

No no no! You fix plastic with plastic! Hot plastic sticks to hot plastic!

[@Titanphoenix666]

I used the wire mesh first and just melted it to the kayak then a layer of plastic this bonded much better , i also filled the inside with windshield adhesive so i dont think i will ever have another problem

[@Sundavall]

Would plastic welding like this help fix a crack in a kids rideable jeep? My son crashed his Christmas present today and it still works but there’s some decent cracks in the frame now.

[@skinnyway]

I cant even get to the inside of my kayak - not clear about how other people do...? but I bought the wand - was trying to just find a tip for my soldering iron but nothing was available it america it seems. my split is about the same size as yours and got a little worse actually this last time out - but the entire patch was gone. cant wait to try this and glad I read comments first and found out I can use a thinner #2 instead of that thick hard to melt laundry bottle! i have a bleach bottle that is much thinner. thanks for the video - I wasnt sure how to go about doing this.

[@RicardoBigTime]

Good stuff but why not use a butane torch on patch? Curious.

[@joekj6274]

Put lines down the bottom and side for protection

[@pamvaughn3988]

I have tried almost every and nothing is sticking, well, it sticks but in a month or so it just flacks off. Do yout think this will work? I have a Colman hunting/fishing kayak.

[@KingroblesTV]

I just bought two kayaks from a co worker for $175. An 8ft and a 12 ft. One had a hole in it I didn’t know about until yesterday 🤣. Found out the hard way lol. Anyways I’m definitely going to try this. I just sealed the hole inside and out with 100percent water proof silicone so ima see how that works

[@davidku6127]

Thanks for good ideas

[@vnderrr]

well done thanks for sharing. good clear vid! 👍

[@matthewgonzalez5019]

I want to make a repair just like this I was wondering have you ever heard of anybody epoxying a flat sheet of metal around the part that drags the most kind of just protect it from rubbing on the ground.I have a sun dolphin 9 foot so it’s a little bit different then your kayak

[@LoriKWatts]

I found this video really helpful, but I wish you hadn't speeded up the parts when you were actually doing the repair! That's the part I need to see.

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for the feedback

[@LoriKWatts]

@@Saltstrong Thanks for the video! I successfully repaired my kayak over the weekend because of this.

[@geneglavin5709]

I know this video is old, but I’m wondering where I might be able to get that track slide for moving he boat up the beach? Any info would be appreciated

[@Saltstrong]

Not quite sure, and unfortunately, Wyatt is no longer with us.

[@ckelly9403]

I want to see the milk create rod holder set up.

[@jelly_fishing]

Nice video - any recommendation to protect the keel of the kayak

[@theresamoore0817]

@saltstrong I appreciate you sharing this idea because we've been trying to figure out how to fix ours, so thank you!! 😊 I'm sure you've been rolling your eyes 🙄 at all the nit pickers & critics who comment & are picking this apart, saying what, "THEY would've done or YOU should've done differently." *Heck, if they don't like how you did this.. they need to pipe down 🤐 & start their own KZbin channel & make "PERFECT videos!" 😂😂😂

[@Saltstrong]

Glad we could help!

[@Saltloony]

Great job on the welding. I would start with a good cleaning and sanding the surface before I start welding.

[@gamehunter3985]

Your 100 percent right and a no brainer.

[@65_roses_jku7]

I would also add that the stainless mess should have been welded to the kayak before adding the top layer. There shouldn’t be any reason that this isn’t a permanent solution.

[@michaelfox2989]

Nice fish .And great repair vedio..

[@DanTheFishMan]

I'm. Looking for hull protection.. any suggestions?

[@yoyosegev7424]

gator guard

[@dannymartin3753]

How about covering scupper holes?

[@Saltstrong]

Check out the full blog on our website and post your question there. That way, our coaches can respond back directly with their input and recommendation. You can find that here: www.saltstrong.com/articles/fix-hole-in-kayak/

[@working2bselfsufficient724]

Wouldnt it be easier and look alot better if you just heated and bent a sheet of plastic to the contour then weld/epoxy it over the area? I dont have a yak myself so never had to fix one but ive fixed many of plastic things that way. That looks like crap and cant be made smooth. Wonder if you could cut out the hole and just plastic weld a new one in? Maybe clear so can see thru it to bottom? I build aluminum/fiberglass boats but see yacks popularity increase all the time so i may need to start working on them as well.

[@ChewyPocket]

That’s a really good idea. I think one of the mistakes made in this video is not cleaning the area well enough and seeing that there had been multiple repairs attempted made it difficult to really prioritize the leak itself. Cleaning the area and even drilling at the two ends of the crack are a good way to ensure the damage doesn’t spread. Covering the whole thing in plastic like “plastic duct tape” doesn’t help very much. Using whatever material the kayak is (HDPE in this case) and bonding it to the damaged area and attempting to fill it in are way better ways to actually fix the issue. The mesh is really helpful in areas that are are either many multiple cracks or a massive, structurally compromised, crack.

[@StephAnie902]

Which kayak is that?

[@cmr7217]

Cover with Flex Seal after :)

[@FloridaManVal]

Can i do this to an older fiberglass kayak

[@Gunk55]

No, it wouldn't bond. Better to use a fiberglass repair kit. Plenty of videos and super satisfying.

[@StragglerTx]

I've been doing this to my cheap sun dolphin for 4 years lol they ask why not get a new one but I've caught many fish off it and not ready to let it go .

[@Saltstrong]

It's hard to let go!

[@straightouttheshed]

I've had the same temporary soft patch covering the 2x2 inch hole in the bottom of my yak for 10 years now. It never leaked but every year I think about fixing it properly. After seeing this I have no desire to repair it whatsoever, my temp patch from dicks for $2.50 is leagues better to be 100% honest.

[@judymarusiak1336]

Excellent, I feel confident to do this

[@Saltstrong]

Awesome - thanks for watching!

[@JoeBobLink]

Got my first used kayak today 😊.. alot lighter than Jon boat

[@Saltstrong]

Sweet!

[@nickbosworth6388]

Ive burned myself a thousand times on that exact same welder it aint that bad if u react quick it doesnt even leave a mark but it stings for sure

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for sharing!

[@feesh00]

What about using fiberglass with epoxy resin to fix polyethlin kayak?

[@enthused7591]

Anybody tried Bondo? I have bondo at the house and can't see why it wouldn't work.

[@Saltstrong]

Let us know if you try it out!

[@akorahmaniazar]

Great craftsmanship that kayak will roughly last you a 1/8 of a trip with that chunk of dirt. It would've taken you 2 minutes to clean that.

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for the feedback

[@suep9445]

Now try doing this without speeding it up. Not helpful at warp speed.

[@justbored3.14]

how do i get dents out from a kayak ? i have a dent on the bottom near the rear of my kayak

[@Manuel_Z_Kayaks]

You MUST melt the wire mesh into the hull of the kayak. You were just melting plastic into the loose mesh, one sharp rock and it's leaking again. This must have been your first patch after watching bad repair videos.

[@joekj6274]

Tarp plastic much more bonding

[@brandif9435]

Styrofoam cup little gasoline PVC pipe heated and flattened

[@gB-gm7vy]

Are you sure the detergent bottle is the same plastic as a kayak?? 🤔🧐

[@Saltstrong]

Great question! Make sure to ask this over in the Community (www.saltstrong.com/) where the coaches spend their time.

[@bethwright8595]

It is if the kayak is rotomolded polyethylene, the most common material used for kayaks, and the plastic bottle is marked with a recycling triangle with a 2 inside it and the letters HDPE below it, which stands for high-density polyethylene. They are both the same type of plastic, chemically identical which is what's important in dealing with plastics. There are also plenty of other consumer products packaged in #2 plastic, most notably milk bottles and white vinegar jugs. You certainly wouldn't want to do this on a fiberglass or Kevlar kayak, and I've been seeking advice on whether I can do it on my ABS plastic kayak. I have friends with rotomolded poly kayaks who have successfully repaired cracks using a soldering iron like they use to securely close plastic shorebird bands so they don't come off or partially open such that the band could potentially injure the bird's leg, or lead to something like fishing line or an old net getting caught in the crack, which could have all kinds of negative repercussions for the bird. I'm actually in the process of obtaining some scrap plastic from the manufacturer of my kayak, of the same type from which it's made, so I can experiment with the soldering technique before actually trying it on my kayak.

[@ashleyrastopchin]

@@bethwright8595let me know if you’re able to get the abs. My line is an ABS Line at work, I have access to both ABS virgin pellets and pelletized ABS regrind. Both do need to be heated and dried in a specialized industrial “dryer” to remove moisture but do have access as well to the tubes we make which wd most likely be what u use to melt n patch, but ABS doesn’t adhere to itself from a extruder running at 400 degrees to formed product quite like other plastic. Even at a hot temperature (to hot, ABs will bind and burn turning a burnt color from a natural color). When our line goes down we often run the ABS part out of the tanks and just walk new part slowly down by hand (yes hot as f) through the tanks into the puller because trying to stuff pipe “lets call it a pipe) is a praying game hoping when u start the puller that holds the already made pipe, the hot material straight from the extruder u just stuffed into it holds in there. Because it literally does not melt to itself. I hope this makes sense. Obviously wishing you the best of luck with it.

[@ashleyrastopchin]

@@bethwright8595i just thought about this further, we have another plant that does assembly for our client attaching a abs part to an abs part. You need a special chemical bonder to bond the ABS to itself with the scrap u are using to the Kayak. MEK is a binder you can use. I am not sure how to advise on how to use it all for your project in particular but hope this all helps

[@supernovaskaters706]

Use a heat gun that cheap wand isn't hot enough

[@UserUser-zm3fo]

Don't buy a kayak without a keel guard.

[@bethwright8595]

Buy one from Gator Guards and apply it yourself.

[@mbledsoe4]

I’d cover the new patch with gorilla duct tape or that flex steel stuff. At least it’d cover up that ugly patch. Lol

[@tonybreeze7734]

LOL this is so bad, the area isn't even cleaned so it's going to peel off. Do not do this.

[@Saltstrong]

It held up for him 🤷

[@ckacka2166]

If you did this the right way with proper heating, this would easily last forever. You should delete this video and educate yourself.