A Question, If You Please

[Jesserkirk]

I've never had a problem cleaning a Dagger or Feel Free plastic kayak, a simple spray with a hose cleans it off....but if someone wants to try it out i'll read a review. Just not going to trust a hand picked review, stuck on a manufacturers website. With that, in 15 years of kayaking, I've never heard of anyone putting coating or lubricants on the bottom of a kayak to keep it clean or increase its speed, just my 10 cents.

[Mark]

A small or even a moderate percentage increase in speed to a vessel that rarely travels more than 3 mph will hardly be noticed.

However, shedding dirt would be a nice benefit.

[J. Rentch]

Thanks for all the response. It seems that Kayaks are not meant to be "slicked up" with applicants. What I really was concerned about are the numerous scrapes that have occurred over time. Did a little research and found that careful use of a heat gun will help smooth out the groves. So I gave it a try and yes, if you carefully move the gun over the area, it will slowly melt and fill in the area. It doesn't disappear 100%, but is considerably better. The overall roughness has disappeared. I guess the best solution is not scrap the bottom on rock, etc, but as mentioned above, I am pretty rough on my Kayaks.

[On the fly]

John I guess the only thing to put on your yak to increase its speed is a motor��

[dasher]

John a putty knife heated and wiped over a scratch can help as well, and though I've not tired it, a bread bag when wiped over a deep scratch is supposed to work.

[Mark]

I didn't know that about heat guns or a hot putty knife. Good info.

I try my best to avoid scratches. I make soft entries and soft landings and rarely drag my boats over land. But, hull scratches are inevitable.

Sometimes I get black streaks on the bottoms of my yaks. They wash off with a little scrubbing. But I don't know where they come from.

[silasvirus82]

Since nobody has mentioned it, I use 303 Aerospace Protectant on my kayaks once or twice a year to preserve the plastic and it leaves a hard shinny surface. One spray bottle usually last me a 3-4 years. I do not notice any performance gains, but it does making cleaning a little easier. I'm guessing the chemical make-up is similar to Armor All, but it's specific use is for marine purposes and does not leave a greasy surface.

[On the fly]

Since nobody has mentioned it, I use 303 Aerospace Protectant on my kayaks once or twice a year to preserve the plastic and it leaves a hard shinny surface. One spray bottle usually last me a 3-4 years. I do not notice any performance gains, but it does making cleaning a little easier. I'm guessing the chemical make-up is similar to Armor All, but it's specific use is for marine purposes and does not leave a greasy surface.

Great UV protectant

[J. Rentch]

Great UV protectant

Thanks Harry


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[Jimbo]

A quick question. Does anyone put any kind of lubricant on you kayak bottom to help with its movement through the water?

I put lubricant on board my kayak every time I head to the ruffle bar.


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[silasvirus82]

I put lubricant on board my kayak every time I head to the ruffle bar.


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Notice any gains in efficiency? [emoji23]

[Jimbo]

Notice any gains in efficiency? [emoji23]

I definitely get there faster when I do.


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[mrggfep]

yak repair w/tarp

John a putty knife heated and wiped over a scratch can help as well, and though I've not tired it, a bread bag when wiped over a deep scratch is supposed to work.

I have used a piece of tarp melted by an almost red hot putty knife to fill in scratches in my kayak thanks to a youtube video on the subject and this fix works well, and I notice that the tarp material repels water better than the kayak plastic so its a two for one deal... the melted tarp plastic material resists scratches better than the kayak plastic. I wish here was an easy way to melt a tarp over the whole bottom of the kayak.
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