JB Weld - Keel & Hull Protection for Hobie Revolution and Oasis

Been using JB weld on the keel for years. Works great. Easiest to apply when warm outside.

The JB Weld is a great idea and seems to work well.  But I am a guy who likes to take care of my kayak and also make sure it looks good.  Unfortunately, that JB Weld idea makes the bottom of the boat look ugly.  If you have it on for a while and it gets scuffed up, it will be more difficult to remove. 

I don't keep my kayaks long.  When I sell them, I like them to look good and in excellent condition for resale  The JB Weld will not be an attractive sight.  It might even cause the asking price to go down.  So, wouldn't be better to use something that is designed specifically to protect the hull?  The KeelEasy strips are not that expensive, can easily be removed and you can pick a color to either match your hull or at least a color that is nice on the kayak. 

http://www.keeleazy.com/product/keeleazy-2/

Tried the keeleze years ago. It lasted a season or two tops. Will never go back to that. JB weld all the way. But like you said, it’s not for everyone.

Tried the keeleze years ago. It lasted a season or two tops. Will never go back to that. JB weld all the way. But like you said, it’s not for everyone.

     I'm curious,,, what failed with the Keeleze ?   Did it peel off the hull or just wear thru?       I've had applied it to my carbon fiber hull,, it still looks new, no issues whatsoever.
  Thanks,
Jim

Tried the keeleze years ago. It lasted a season or two tops. Will never go back to that. JB weld all the way. But like you said, it’s not for everyone.

     I'm curious,,, what failed with the Keeleze ?   Did it peel off the hull or just wear thru?       I've had applied it to my carbon fiber hull,, it still looks new, no issues whatsoever.
  Thanks,
Jim

It started peeling off slowly after sands overtime got underneath where it folds against itself. Might have been user error where I didn’t make the proper cuts, who knows.

Tried the keeleze years ago.

I tried keeleze once too, and it did not stick all that well to PE...

I've used g/flex epoxy with good results:

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-system--g-flex-655-8-epoxy-adhesive--15537087

It's not exactly pretty (looks like hardened snot), but much better in that regard than JB weld.

The application of KeelEasy is pretty simple.  You have to take time to prep the bottom of the kayak.  Here is a link to the Keelguard website.   Scroll down the page and watch the video.  It shows how the strip is installed on the boat hulls.  Putting these KeelEasy's on is the same process, but you down have to worry about a trailer being in the way.  Just turn your kayak upside-down and get to work.   This same process would also be used when applying JB Weld, or it will peel off also.

https://keelguard.com/megaware-keelguard/


Because the surface of the kayak is non-porous, you have to sand it down or scuff it really good in order to allow anything to adhere and not peel off.  And if you prepped eveerything correctly, like you should, and it still peels off, then you are being too rough on your kayak. 

The application of KeelEasy is pretty simple.  You have to take time to prep the bottom of the kayak.  Here is a link to the Keelguard website.   Scroll down the page and watch the video.  It shows how the strip is installed on the boat hulls.  Putting these KeelEasy's on is the same process, but you down have to worry about a trailer being in the way.  Just turn your kayak upside-down and get to work.

https://keelguard.com/megaware-keelguard/

In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. I would compare it to Outback vs Revo where people started on an outback and eventually end up on a Revo and not vice versa. Like I said, after trying both I would never go back to Keeleze. But that’s just me.

I've used KeelEazy on 2 kayaks.  Its good for minimal protection.  If you drag your yak on grass or sand it works fine.  But if you drag your hull over hard surface it won't hold up.  It will just wears out.  I am done using it and would not recommend it.

 
  Wouldn't the use of the truck bed liner impose a lot more drag being its not a smooth surface?
  I used a small patch of hot glue on the stub part of my hull.  Granted its much softer than JB weld, but i figured having the hot glue in place is better than not having anything.
  To help keep the impact spot on my OB in tact Iay a towel on the ground at the expected touch down spot for the hull when unloading from bed of truck.  The towel, and hot glue patch are definitely helping preserve the hull.

The idea is to protect the hull from scratches and damage.  Including the JB Weld originally posted, there are a lot of good ideas.  Hell, if you really wanted to get down to doing it really cheap, you could use Duct tape.  Just might have to change it out after every trip,  Lol.  But seriously, no matter how you do it (short of using Duct tape), make sure you prep the bottom of the kayak before you apply anything.  Otherwise, it will not do what it is intended.

Baitman applied my Keel Eazy on my Raptor G2.  It is still there, even after some harrowing beach landing.  Must be the workmanship 

   I used alcohol.          ( to clean before applying.. )