Gouges in the Prowler

[Foggy]

I have just returned from the Mask where I usually fish this time of year and for the 1st time took the yak, if you don't already know it has a rich selection of the sharpest most lethal rocks littered over most of the place - trout heavan/boat hell!

 

I wondered if anyone knew a material to coat the aspiring holes that will certainly appear fishing this amazing lake on a regular basis - I'm due back out there in 1 month.

 

Help please before I sink my Prowler.

 

Below see 4.5lbs of Irish Gold, I'll post some pics on yakfishing UK news website soon showing results etc.

 

[Moonyaker]

Hi Foggy

 

Got some 'curls' from the rocks off Kimmeridge over here on Sunday, I just nipped them off with my finger nails and cursed a little. There is a kind of welding rod that you can get to melt plastic back into any really serious gouges from a US website but I think that we may have to go some to before actually making a hole in the Yak. With your yak I would be inclined to place a light source inside the yak when its dark or in a dark room and any really thin sections should show up; the thickness of the polyethylene on the hull should be around 5mm thick so in theory you are going to have to really abuse things to seriously compromise the hull.

 

I recall that Yakity has details of the US website I am talking about. You may also want to make contact with Johnsons Outdoors the Yak Maker who may have some suggestions if you get really concerned.

 

Hope this helps a little.

[Starvinmarvin]

Ocean Kayak did have an article on repairs and removal of scratches on their website, but it appears that they have just updated the whole thing and that particularly useful page has been removed.

 

If they are minor scratches then I really wouldn't worry about them, unless you have any deep ones, those may need to be filled with a welding rod as Moonyaker described, this is done by heating the rod and dripping into the hole or gouge, like dripping wax from a candle.

 

SM

[Ped]

Don't know if this helps ! http://www.urethanesupply.com/about_us.html

 

Ped

[Foggy]

Thanks for your comments - I will look and see if I can find this 'welding' rod.

The Mask has notorious rocks, I took a brand new, never been in the water 19' Burkes design boat out for a week a 2-3 years ago. As the keel had not been soaked the boat rode a little higher than normal and the drift was not brilliant (usual with a new boat). At the end of the week the running strakes had lumps out and the the fiberglass reinforced hull had huge gouges out and that was without having any difficult situations to deal with.

However the danger of the rocks and the changeable weather (on my last day the wind changed from a 4-5 westerly to a 7-8 Northerly squal in 3 mins and resulted in the one fishing party having to bring their boat back by trailer rather than risk running across the wind in these high winds) offers the trout an almost perfect living environment.

Any other gouge solutions - experiences would be welcome from any other yakkers out there.......

 

Foggy

[YakDiver]

As Starvinmarvin stated would not worry, my kayak is six years old and it had been used and abused, but it stills floats without leaks and has many a scratches ect on the bottom.

[Foggy]

Johnson Outdoors are fantastic - I sent an email Sat morning - got reply Sat afternoon, got welding rod Monday when I returned from work - it doesn't get better than that. Its official I'm a fan!

 

Any OK questions email office@johnsonoutdoors.co.uk

 

Foggy