How To Repair a Kayak

While Vibes lifetime hull warranty has you covered for any factory defects. Sometimes bad things happen that would not be covered by Vibe; maybe a tree fell on your boat (talk to local friend of Vibe Pete Anderson about that) maybe your boat got backed into by a truck (Talk to Field Staff member Jeff Jones about that) Wow, our Field Staff are rough on boats… Anyway, accidents happen. Knowing how to repair and fix your kayak in the event of an accidental hull puncture or crack is a valuable tool to have for any kayak fishing expert. 

You will need:

1. Plastic welding kit
2. Extra plastic that was included in the hull of your kayak
3. Patience

Plastic Welding Instructions:

1. Heat up the area around the hole with the plastic welder, this makes the plastic more malleable and able to bond to new plastic more easily. Move the welder over the hole and around the edges softening the plastic without fully melting.
2. Melt then scoop a small amount of plastic off the spare plastic disc
3. Run the plastic welder over the gouge allowing the new melted plastic to melt into place filling the gap.
4. Repeat step 3 until the gouge is fully filled in, you may have to go back to heat the surrounding area several times as you work.
5. Use the welder to smooth over your work, paying careful attention to the edges, if they are lifting, melt it back down and make sure you have a good bond.

Do not try using any sort of silicone in the crack before or after welding, any outside material will bubble up through the plastic as you melt new plastic in place and create a messy sticky unbonded patch.

And that is all there is to it, so if you are as accident prone as our Field Staff apparently is, you know you are covered, and your kayak investment will live to adventure on!