How to FIX a HUGE KAYAK LEAK in the keel- Repairing a big hole with plastic welding

[@craigknorr710]

I saw your video after i dragged my kayak and made a huge hole thought it was destroyed Completely fixed now and is functional now after this

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

@@craigknorr710 awesome! Glad you could get it fixed! Make sure you check the area every few trips to ensure it’s solid and be safe out there!

[@craigknorr710]

@@TheBassquatchHunter thanks so much I’ll definitely keep an eye on it

[@nm2795]

So I just repaired my nephews yak. And now mines. I have a plastic wielder and a heat gun. But I’m learning. I’m a single mom with 2 sons and we love kayaking and fishing. The heat gun i have haven’t even gotten close to figuring out. I’m scared imma make it worse lol. My plastic wielder is one where u can’t feed the plastic through it. I like urs where u can. I think I’m totally going to get one. Might be easier for a beginner like me. Thanks for taking the time to make this video!!! It helped me. I also didn’t use the wire mesh stuff which I probably should have. But… imma figure it out by golly! Thanks again.

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

There are plenty of great videos that can help show you some tips and tricks to using all types of plastic and welders too:) just make sure you don’t put the heat too close to the kayak and don’t make it too soft or it will melt! I learned the hard way too

[@Steve-sv3ln]

By far the best video I've seen! Ty! The Gospel of John, sooner than later precious souls. Be BORN AGAIN in the Spirit of, Christ Jesus.❤

[@angelmarrero5498]

Jb weld after that rock solid good to go...

[@jailen461]

Very good!!! Thanks a million.

[@A2discgolfdude]

I just had this problem a couple weeks ago and I ended up picking up one of those Gator Patches... It worked amazing! Took me about five minutes to get the job done

[@RyanONeill86]

$60 though

[@A2discgolfdude]

@@RyanONeill86 its cheaper than buying a new kayak..

[@jamie.777]

@@RyanONeill86 yeah, i like melting 5 gallon buckets, its cheeper...

[@xivix6710]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@twopassionsfishing386]

Great video friend

[@ALFarrell-kv6ok]

Besides carrying the kayak, and using the cart as much as possible, I'm wondering what can be done to strengthen an as yet undamaged keel since some dragging is unavoidable.

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

They make keel guards that you can apply to any wear point. Prep and correct install is key

[@Steve-sv3ln]

Do you mind sharing what grade plastice youre using? Thank you.

[@profiskipinternational4402]

watching videos these days I noticed, that mostly as new plastic is used HDPE = High Density Polyethylen. On the material it is regularly stamped. You could even take Milk jars of plastic. In my country the stamp is PE-HD . So you could make stripes of an old milk jar, and then with such a heat welding iron, melt it into the original crack. The heat gun mainly is for pre-heating the old plastic, it is getting shiny which indicates its softening by heat. Yet, don't burn the plastic. I have a coastal rowing boat with a crack at the seat mounting. So I am just learning how it goes. :-) I will do first some "test patches", e.g. in one video I have seen, they used a jar which you can get from the tool market to mix colours or epoxy glue. Thats also HDPE. I don't get the nozzle in my village. So I have to order it online.

[@KeithSmithBountyMotel]

Too much talking

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

Mute the volume:) 😂

[@alexandrebueno1748]

Hi amazing video! Could you tell me where I can buy a similar plastic welding iron just like yours? I looked for it on the eBay but found none like yours!

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

Thank you for the support! Look up “Hobie plastic welder” :) that is where mine came from

[@justinstruyck9989]

Thank you for the video. I didn't think it was possible. Can this work if there is a 8in long slash on the side/bottom of the hull? I found a 11ft fishing kayak for $80 because it has a big slash in it and if it can that'll be so rad.

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

All depends on the hole. It’s always risky and tough to trust a damaged kayak. I would keep a look out on Facebook marketplace and look for something more solid for your safety.

[@justinstruyck9989]

@@TheBassquatchHunter thank you I thought about it and it's not worth it just to save some money. Still liked your video, I didn't know plastic welding was even a thing. Thank you again

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

@@justinstruyck9989 definitely should look for something more solid and safe. And check out KZbin for instructional videos besides mine too. There is a lot of great content to help you learn how to plastic weld!

[@Relaxingmusic-sv8ju]

Gator patch.

[@Manuel_Z_Kayaks]

You did OK up until you started adding plastic to the cold kayak surface. You must heat the surface or the plastic will release later. I've repaired about 100 kayaks and the ones that I just put hot plastic on without heating the surface needed to be Re-repaired. This looks like your first repair after watching a few bad videos.

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

Thank you! It’s actually not my first repair as I have been doing this for almost a decade and have repaired about 30-40 kayaks over the years. The video may not accurately show me prepping and pre heating but trust me, it was done correctly and this patch is still holding just like the day it was done

[@profiskipinternational4402]

I have thought same, yes. Its good to pre-heat the "old plastic" or "new plastic layer" with the heat gun, the plastic changes its surface, gets a kind of glance with the heat. I think that's the right temperature then. I am still learning. I have a coastal rowing boat made of PE and need to repair a crack which started to open the hull around the seat mounting.

[@Lasurge1982]

How does this hold up. Any leaks ?

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

Been solid and watertight 🤞

[@jdebtz2217]

You'd think they would manufacture these areas thicker for wear.....smdh!

[@tonylee7545]

Crap its just melting plastic on dry plastic

[@tomdarkart1]

The screen isn't necessary. There isn't any screen in it originally.

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

When there is a large hole like this, the screen is very necessary. There needs to be something to build the plastic on. Very similar to a drywall patch. The screen adds more of a rigid base to build plastic on and for it to hold onto. Small holes don’t need it, large holes do:)

[@tomdarkart1]

@@TheBassquatchHunter nonsense, the entire boat is the same material. Get a larger, thicker piece of hdpe heat both up. Heat gun and old toaster oven to heat the plastic. Form it on so it bonds. Some parchment works good with gloves on. You're the only person I've ever seen use screen. Hdpe is very different from drywall.

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

@@tomdarkart1 I guess we can agree to disagree. I have repaired about 20 kayaks and when the hole needs reinforcements to hold the plastic, then screens are recommended even from the manufacturers that I work with in the industry. If you don’t need screens to repair points like this, then good luck on yours and if I use screens, then good luck to mine :) as long as they get patched strong enough to hold up and last, then it’s done right:)

[@TheBassquatchHunter]

@@tomdarkart1 also, there is a reason that any kayak repair welding kit comes with metal screen as well. I was doing a video on how it is suggested from manufacturers, not the only way to do it.

[@xivix6710]

@@tomdarkart1 The original material doesn't have mesh in it because its a solid single peice that was molded in a controlled manner. But now you can't have the perfect condition to get it to weld perfectly like in a mold. The methods you have seen other use does work, but this method with the mesh is even stronger of a bond, it increases the bonding surface area by a large margin and it adds a reinforcement to the bond. Search how composite works, they always have a matrix and a reinforcement parts to reach peak performance.