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*I do not recommended this to everyone, as you could cause damage to your kayak
Ok, so after moving to a slayer propel 13 last season I was now in the market for a cheap light weight kayak for quick after work trips. I didn't want to settle on a 10ft sit in. So I kept an eye on craigslist and facebook market place for a deal. Well at the end of the season a lot of kayak rentals go for sale SUPER cheap. I was able to pick up a tarpon 120 for $400. To say this kayak was used and abused is an understatement. But I knew I could bring some life back to it. Plus it wouldn't be my primary kayak so if it got some abuse id be ok.
For some reason the wilderness systems hatches fade a lot over time. This is a simple fix of taking the hatches off as well as the latches and just painting them. I used a flat black primer from Rust-oleum. I was only able to do one coat before the winter weather set in and will have to wait to reapply when the weather gets warmer.
Next on my list is to replace the bungee cords. This is a simple fix that you can add function but also some color to your kayak. I added a bright orange. I get all my bungee cords from paracordplanet.com they are cheap and ship pretty fast. The only thing I have found is they do have a tendency of the color fading after one season.
Now for my main issue, all the scratches. I know it is bound to happen but I still like my kayaks to look nice. Now with that said I do not recommend that you do this every year. I only plan on doing this one time as you are taking plastic off the kayak. Now to get the kayak back to "normal" I start with a 120grit sand paper. I used a palm sander, but be careful as you can take a lot of material off in a hurry so keep it moving at all times. After the 120 grit I moved to a 220, then a 600 grit. After that I wipe down the kayak with a wet towel to check my progress. After I am happy with where I am at I move to a 1500 grit and will wet sand the kayak. While doing this I am not looking to get out any major deep cuts or scratches. Those will be plastic welded and sanded over at a later date. This is more for the smaller comedic scratches. After I finish with the wet sanding I will once again wipe down the kayak with a wet towel, then leave to dry. After all the sanding is done it will leave a white haze on the kayak. To bring back the finish you will have to run over the sanded areas with a heat gun. Again keep it moving and don't focus to much heat on one area or you run the risk of damaging the kayak. After you let the kayak cool down the final step I do is to spray some 303 plastic protectant on the kayak.
The last thing I will have to do is replace the seat covers as they are faded as well. This is a great winter time project to make an old kayak look almost new again. I hope this helps someone, and if you have any questions feel free to send me a message. Looking forward to the 2020 season and hope to see y'all on the water!
Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk
Ok, so after moving to a slayer propel 13 last season I was now in the market for a cheap light weight kayak for quick after work trips. I didn't want to settle on a 10ft sit in. So I kept an eye on craigslist and facebook market place for a deal. Well at the end of the season a lot of kayak rentals go for sale SUPER cheap. I was able to pick up a tarpon 120 for $400. To say this kayak was used and abused is an understatement. But I knew I could bring some life back to it. Plus it wouldn't be my primary kayak so if it got some abuse id be ok.
For some reason the wilderness systems hatches fade a lot over time. This is a simple fix of taking the hatches off as well as the latches and just painting them. I used a flat black primer from Rust-oleum. I was only able to do one coat before the winter weather set in and will have to wait to reapply when the weather gets warmer.
Next on my list is to replace the bungee cords. This is a simple fix that you can add function but also some color to your kayak. I added a bright orange. I get all my bungee cords from paracordplanet.com they are cheap and ship pretty fast. The only thing I have found is they do have a tendency of the color fading after one season.
Now for my main issue, all the scratches. I know it is bound to happen but I still like my kayaks to look nice. Now with that said I do not recommend that you do this every year. I only plan on doing this one time as you are taking plastic off the kayak. Now to get the kayak back to "normal" I start with a 120grit sand paper. I used a palm sander, but be careful as you can take a lot of material off in a hurry so keep it moving at all times. After the 120 grit I moved to a 220, then a 600 grit. After that I wipe down the kayak with a wet towel to check my progress. After I am happy with where I am at I move to a 1500 grit and will wet sand the kayak. While doing this I am not looking to get out any major deep cuts or scratches. Those will be plastic welded and sanded over at a later date. This is more for the smaller comedic scratches. After I finish with the wet sanding I will once again wipe down the kayak with a wet towel, then leave to dry. After all the sanding is done it will leave a white haze on the kayak. To bring back the finish you will have to run over the sanded areas with a heat gun. Again keep it moving and don't focus to much heat on one area or you run the risk of damaging the kayak. After you let the kayak cool down the final step I do is to spray some 303 plastic protectant on the kayak.
The last thing I will have to do is replace the seat covers as they are faded as well. This is a great winter time project to make an old kayak look almost new again. I hope this helps someone, and if you have any questions feel free to send me a message. Looking forward to the 2020 season and hope to see y'all on the water!
Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk
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