Mature Audiences Only

[Big Mike]

We warn viewers that the content you’re about to see may be disturbing to some. If you are offended by kayak abuse please turn the channel.



This is my 2014 PA and I drive it like a rental. Keel guards and carpet may keep your boat young and vibrant but I prefer character, life experiences etched into the hull that tell the tale of battles won and lost with fish. You can’t buy patina like this, only 100’s of trips with carefully curated neglect can achieve this glorious wear. I do wash it annually by setting it outside and letting feral cats come and lick it clean, so I’m not a complete barbarian.

Yes, it’s winter, snow is coming and I’m going stir crazy to fish. The mind wanders.

In all seriousness, I’m impressed as heck by the quality and thickness of plastic in the keel of Hobie’s. I’ve debated keel guards but after 7 years and hundreds of trips I think the debate is over for me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Mark]

Mike,

Now that's a funny post!

And here I've been washing my boat with a hose and sometimes even soap after most outings. Dawn dish soap is tops, by the way, for removing all manner of stains. However, I didn't realize that the neighborhood cats would do the job for me.

I don't have keel guards on my Hobie either. I know it's hopeless but I actually do try to avoid scratches by seeking soft landings and keeping the entire hull in the water as much as possible on departures and returns.

I recall seeing someone drag a Hobie Revo with all its weight bearing on the stern up the concrete ramp at Goodhands Creek and across the asphalt parking lot. I almost cried at the sight of such abuse. I'd be surprised if that particular Revo did not develop a leak in the stern in due time.

[J.A. Veil]

My 2014 Native Manta Ray 11 lives inside my minivan most of the time. Every few months when a rainstorm is predicted, I slide the kayak out into the yard and let Mother Nature give it a rinse. Most name brand kayaks are built well with durable material. They hold up well unless abused.

Having a multi-colored green camo colored hull, which includes some brown streaks, does a great job at hiding most stains. Even after 7 years of heavy use, including about 170 trips in 2020, the Manta Ray 11 still has a shiny finish.

2021-01-28-005a.jpg

[ronaultmtd]

I am in the minority here...went out of my way to preserve my "luck boats" won in raffle drawings...I have a "pole barn" built out of telephone poles The original owner/builder of our home constructed to store his farm equipment. It has metal roof and rough sawn wooden boards he harvested off the property...not a pretty planed board but after 30 years still serviceable. Anyway, I built in two Kayak racks that my kayaks slide into and stay out of the weather...and I wash my kayaks with sudsy detergent and a soft bristle brush five or six times a year...

[Mark]

I am in the minority here...went out of my way to preserve my "luck boats" won in raffle drawings...I have a "pole barn" built out of telephone poles The original owner/builder of our home constructed to store his farm equipment. It has metal roof and rough sawn wooden boards he harvested off the property...not a pretty planed board but after 30 years still serviceable. Anyway, I built in two Kayak racks that my kayaks slide into and stay out of the weather...and I wash my kayaks with sudsy detergent and a soft bristle brush five or six times a year...

I'm with you Ron.

I store my kayaks indoors and I wash them frequently with the hose during the warmer weather...not so often after cold-water trips. Yet I still wipe them down with a damp towel on their rack in my garage when it's too cold for a good hosing.

Our kayaks are not cheap. Even a basic paddle fishing kayak costs close to $1,000 retail. Pedal boats are on a higher price plane, of course. I think my kayaks deserve a little maintenance attention given their initial costs and secondary market values.

As much as I try to avoid them, scratches are inevitable. But I can at least prevent the build up of salt, slime and grime in my boats with a little attention after outings and a dry storage area.

We each have different tolerances and habits concerning our gear. My post outing regimen of cleaning and storage is as enjoyable to me as the actual fishing I do in my kayak. What's key is that we're comfortable and safe in our boats, not how many baths we give them. I just happen to prefer a freshly cleaned kayak at the start of my outings. If it gets fish-slimed during the trip, that's all the better.

[nhunter344]

My keel used to look like that then I got worried about holes and decided to gorilla tape a piece of 1/8" heat formed ABS over it. More peace of mind and a lot cheaper than a $90 roll of keelguard.

[rugbyfish]

One thing I really enjoy about my Vibe kayaks is the replaceable plastic keel. I often fish alone, and having the ability to drag it short distances comes in handy. I’ve found they last a couple seasons with my level of abuse. The replacement part is $8, which is well worth it to me.

[bignose]

As nhunter334 mentioned, Gorilla Tape (silver duct tape before that) was the "industry standard" in covering scrapes and wear on the bottom of kayaks.

Duct tape used to be a necessity on long trips with the Canoe as well, to patch holes and cracks in the old fiberglass hulls.

But I take my canoes into some pretty rugged areas. The rocks of the Upper Potomac in some areas, like above Taylor's Landing for instance, are very sharp and abrasive, they can literally slice the color coat off of the old Royalex (ABS) hulls.
My boats are covered with scars from these rocks. I have to think of them in more utilitarian terms, they are appliances, like a toaster!

Additionally, the ends of the boat where they contact the shore began to wear through.
My solution was to get some kevlar strips and epoxy them over the ends. It is not very attractive, but it is functional, and that's the point.

Old Towns kits for this was ridiculously expensive. i picked up some kevlar strips on eBay for like $15.00.