How to Repair a Kayak with a Nitrogen Plastic Welder

[@polyvance]

View this video on our website for more information and product suggestions for this repair: www.polyvance.com/video/nitrogen-hot-air-welding/how-to-repair-a-kayak-with-a-nitrogen-plastic-welder-2

[@manbearbeard]

There's no better channel on KZbin. Great work. I like it.

[@polyvance]

Thank you so much!

[@wutflex]

I have this exact same kayak it surfs ocean waves great!

[@The88katana600]

nice repair

[@polyvance]

Thank you!

[@DiscosVideos]

What’s the best way to fix cracked kayaks? The heat gun plastic welder way or the nitrogen welder way?

[@anilmarakkar8304]

Thanks

[@polyvance]

Thanks for watching!

[@عبدالمحسنالجبوري-م7و]

very very good

[@polyvance]

Thank you!

[@roriepotter7681]

Very good video. I'm going to do a repair soon. One question... I was going to put my mesh on the inside, but you put it on the outside, would I be better off putting it on the outside or does it not make any difference?

[@scottb7600]

For me it would depend on where the hole was. If its someplace that gets abraded by rocks, I would try to put it on the inside if it can be reached easily. If its someplace near your feet, legs, butt, or whatever where you will be rubbing it, I would put it on the outside. The reason for that is if you have a random wire not fully embedded in the plastic, it will stab you at the most inopportune times and be a royal annoyance. AS far as strength goes, it makes little difference, but I feel the inside is better because that side is under tension when pushed in, and this is where the mesh's strength is most beneficial.

[@roriepotter7681]

@@scottb7600 thankyou for your fast, and detailed response 🙂 I will stick with the original plan to put on the inside then, although it is near my bum, but it will have a plastic seat on top, I also plan to put close cell foam in between the hull and seat, for extra shock cushioning.

[@scottb7600]

@@roriepotter7681 Sounds like a great plan!

[@Cornwallseafishingkayaking]

Hey just a quick question the scratches on the bottom of the kayak is there any way to make the bottom look a lot better if so is there easy fix to be able to get rid or even just make the bottom look a lot less full of scratches :-)

[@scottb7600]

Yes! A heat gun can be used to melt the scratches and somewhat restore the smooth look. Just keep the heat gun very close to the surface, move it slowly but steadily and don't dwell on one area for long. You don't want to melt the boat, just the fuzzy surface. To see this in action kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4uZZISVrMSnZ7c

[@Manuel_Z_Kayaks]

TIP: Use the butt of the screwdriver to press down the mesh and to smooth out the surface of the repair. DO NOT HEAT THE BUTT OF THE SCREWDRIVER...KEEP IT COOL! A WATER SPRAY BOTTLE IS HELPFULL TOO.

[@MrNissand21]

What if the crack is not accessible from the inside? Would it still be ok if only the outside of the crack has been repaired?

[@polyvance]

Yes. Welding both sides is ideal, but you can still make a strong one sided repair with the welding rod and mesh. In fact, we have two videos showing a kayak repair using an airless welder where we weld only from the outside. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3nOp6yjaKylpqs and kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJikd6Z6ebOgaNE.

[@scottb7600]

Yes, but you need to make your initial v-groove deeper to ensure the weld is through the plastic. You could also embed some 2045W stainless mesh into the repair to help make the one sided repair even stronger. I've done many one sided hull repairs and have never had a problem.

[@mldowjr08]

Can you recommend a shop in the DFW Metroplex that can do thiz?????

[@scottb7600]

Call around to some of the busier body shops, most of them will have a plastic welder. Caliber collision centers all have one I believe. You can also DIY with a KCWPRO from Polyvance.

[@abeclarkatp2595]

Why the stainless steel mesh? Is the rod not as strong as the plastic the kayak is made from?

[@scottb7600]

It is as strong as the hull, however the joint between the hull and the rod can be suspect if the weld was not done perfectly. Also, in a rotomolder hull, the molecules in the plastic tend to line up in an orderly fashion. In a weld they tend to be more random, which for 99.9% of welds is of no consequence, but it is slightly weaker. The mesh is insurance that the repair will be as strong or stronger than original by physically tying the hull to the repair and back to the hull and it helps seal any pinholes you may have. I use it on my boats in all the high stress areas that I've broken..but for non-stressed areas, I skip it.

[@marianmarian6760]

correct observation, metal reinforcement is such a little nonsense, but on the other hand, you know in addition to the complex welding device, which fully replaces the ordinary heatgun to sell a hill of other products - simply marketing .....

[@marianmarian6760]

correct observation, metal reinforcement is such a little nonsense, but on the other hand, you know in addition to the complex welding device, which fully replaces the ordinary heatgun to sell a hill of other products - simply marketing .....

[@srhintz]

Why wouldn't you sand it smooth?

[@polyvance]

It is just personal preference on how you want it to look. You can sand the weld if you want. We didn't feel it was necessary here. The repair is not going to be visible when the kayak is in the water.

[@MNCasaPro]

Where's the Nitrogen?

[@polyvance]

The nitrogen is the heated gas coming out of the welding torch. We're using our 8203 welder that generates its own nitrogen. You can also use bottled nitrogen.