Keel protection

Keel protection?

Happy Labor Day to everyone! With summer waning and a classic boat project nearing splashdown we are contemplating some finishing touches.

Marty has posted details of the Mason Lake finale, noting the nice beaching area. I would be interested to read of your favorite technique to minimize damage to a "fresh" hull. We have looked at commercially available hull strips, which don't seem to be flexible enough for older keel designs, are spendy (for a strip of extruded PVC) and potentially distracting aesthetically. Another solution could be high-mil "helicopter" clear tape, normally used for rock chip remediation, Spray-on rhino liner type polyurethane, or a "beaching blanket". Since the first scrape is the hardest I suspect that we should just suck it up!

[Straycat]

There's one on my old Cat, wouldn't leave home without it!

Cat scratch fever

Nice ride(s) there Lon, thanks for the pic-the keelguard looks great, did you have any installation or adhesion issues beyond the obvious?

[Straycat]

No issues, mark the area to be covered, scotch pad lightly, apply activator, press on keel protector. It would have been nice if they had provided a little more activator, you get nervous when you see you have a couple feet left of protector and only a couple drops of activator..................

[Lootas1]

Keel guard? Never heard of it. Where do you find it? It just goes over the keel and doesn't protect the rest of the bottom from rocks? I was thinking of buying a cheap little Sevelor blow up boat to keep from scratching the bottom on beaches but they are awkward to use and time consuming to inflate.

[Straycat]

Here's just one place to get an idea of what they are. These have ridges I went with the smooth look and I also didn't want it to "show" so I picked a color close to the color of hull........
http://www.keelshield.com/

No issues, mark the area to be covered, scotch pad lightly, apply activator, press on keel protector. It would have been nice if they had provided a little more activator, you get nervous when you see you have a couple feet left of protector and only a couple drops of activator..................

Thanks for your input, I will be putting in an order on Tuesday...

[Tim_Mattson]

More install tips

You should also start with acetone or a good de-wax/de-greaser as if you scotchbrite without a wipedown,you could grind dome oily residue into the hull.
Using a heatgun and pre-heating the material beforehand can really make the stuff stick well.A good laminate roller will help make the glue stick evenly and on the edges.Work it from the middle and outward with a firm grip.
Sometimes buying a bigger size and sharing with another hull can lower the high price,it comes in lengths up to 18` so two smaller boats could split it up as the short pcs are $100 and up.
Goodluck,
TimM

[Tim McCrain]

I was thinking of buying a cheap little Sevelor blow up boat to keep from scratching the bottom on beaches but they are awkward to use and time consuming to inflate.

Yep, it is awkward keeping the inflatable in place under the big boat while beaching, but they sure do a good job of protecting the hull ...

good clean fun

Thanks for all of the install pointers, I've decided to ship my ride to Australia so these gals can put it on...

Krikey! turn the sound off, he kills the mood. Don't miss 1:29 for the heat gun technique-I've been doin' it wrong all these years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT1Qks7tN4Q