# Keel build-up with good ol' Goop!



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

I gave my T-160i its first bath today, after 11 trips. I was amazed at how badly the sharp keel edges fore and aft were skinned up. Something needs doing, or I might end up with a sinking 'yak at some point... 

Being more careful/not dragging on concrete/avoiding oyster beds are NOT options, so maybe I have a reasonable answer...

Simply squeeze a thick bead of Goop! along the keel, and form it with your fingers, along the sides, until it gets tacky enough to set. Didn't take long, about three minutes per end.










I ended up with about an 1/8th inch of built up "sacrificial" material. This ain't pretty, but I believe it'll work well. If you wanted to carefully mask off the area, folding the top edges of the tape under, you could probably make it look nice.

As to adhesion and durability, I have little doubt that this will work well, judging from how hard it is to remove a Gooped transducer... 

Always willing to try a harebrained scheme, I'll keep y'all posted as to how well it works...


----------



## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

You may want to goop on a sacrificial rub strip of wood or metal.
You can rip oak into thin strips and ply up a nice tough keel or add a thin strip of stainless steel from Lowe's


----------



## okimavich (Nov 13, 2006)

I guess that's why they call it Goop and not glue.


----------



## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

How about that aluminum flashing tape they sell at the Depot? Don't know how else to describe it . . . but it's metal tape. I was thinkin' the same thing RR . . . I've been getting slammed on some oyster covered pilings recently


----------



## fishbait (Nov 11, 2005)

I like that sacrificial rub strip idea. I think I'll goop on some 1/8" thick aluminum strip down there before it gets too bad.


----------



## okimavich (Nov 13, 2006)

You mean the silver tape used for ducts or the aluminum sheets used for flashing?

How about an inner tube?


----------



## fishbait (Nov 11, 2005)

okimavich said:


> You mean the silver tape used for ducts or the aluminum sheets used for flashing?
> 
> How about an inner tube?


Wouldn't that just rub right off as soon as you go across concrete.


----------



## BubbaBlue (May 11, 2004)

I question if Goop on it's own will be tough enough to provide much protection. 
Thinking something would need to be on the outside.

They make a product for this, but it's too pricey.
Google: "KeelGuard Keel Protector"

It's some kind of slippery plastic on the outside, but it comes with it's own sticky stuff already on the inside. 

I think that's the hard part... slippery and tough like Teflon on the outside but also glueable on the inside.
.


----------



## okimavich (Nov 13, 2006)

fishbait said:


> Wouldn't that just rub right off as soon as you go across concrete.


Not if you goop it on well. The idea is that the rubber will a sacrificial substance with regards to scratching, but also help with a lot of the impact damage. Aluminum is nice for scratches, but it will just deform when struck/impacted by something hard.


----------



## erfisher (Feb 9, 2004)

Guys, I have had my 160 for 2 years now and it has been on probably 100 trips. I have drug it on pavement, run it over oyster bars, rammed it onto rocks, it has even been in small rapids in the New river (VA, not the one in Eastern NC). It is so beat up it's just sad looking. The keel is worn some and the same thought has crossed my mind but it hasn't worn through yet. Wilderness Systems uses better plastic and more of it than most, that's why they are so freakin' heavy. My Ride had some spots I drilled and the plastic was over 1/8" thick. I wouldn't worry about it wearing through just yet. The only ones I know of who have worn through keels had _______ boats (I'll give you a hint, OKlahoma).


----------



## ROUSH616172699 (Sep 17, 2007)

i know people that use the spray on bedliner for their jon boats. Seems like a solution for a yak too.


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

erfisher said:


> Guys, I have had my 160 for 2 years now and it has been on probably 100 trips. I have drug it on pavement, run it over oyster bars, rammed it onto rocks, it has even been in small rapids in the New river (VA, not the one in Eastern NC). It is so beat up it's just sad looking. The keel is worn some and the same thought has crossed my mind but it hasn't worn through yet. Wilderness Systems uses better plastic and more of it than most, that's why they are so freakin' heavy. My Ride had some spots I drilled and the plastic was over 1/8" thick. I wouldn't worry about it wearing through just yet. The only ones I know of who have worn through keels had _______ boats (I'll give you a hint, OKlahoma).


Now THAT'S the kind of info I wanted to hear...

I did this mainly as an experiment to see how it'll hold up, and to see if this is a viable option.


----------



## notso (Jul 18, 2005)

Old towne also offers kevlar "skid pads" for thier canoes that might just fit the bill for you.


----------



## stonemason (Aug 4, 2006)

3M sells these clear plastic sheets (like stickers) and people use to put on motorcycle tanks (keep belts from scratching) and front of cars (rock chips). you can get it in various thickness. obvioudly the thicker one would be hard to bend around the keel but you get the idea. i'll look for the website i bought mine.
i used it for the bottom of my RC car...


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Well, 

Back to the drawing board... 

The goop had set up hard, so I decided to do a torture test this morning by dragging each end about 100' over the gravel road in front of the house...  

The Goop! failed, though not miserably. It actually held up pretty good, but I wanted to make it as bad as possible on the initial test.

The thin layers pulled off pretty easy, so adhesion was not as good as I'd hoped.

I'm just gonna run it till it quits, I guess...


----------



## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

If you want something really tough and really slick you need to look for Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) polyethylene strips. If you work in a manufacturing facility, go visit a purchasing person and ask to look at the McMaster Carr catalog.
UHMW (or any polyethylene) is hard to "stick" to anything. You can "solder" it with a polyethylene rod and a heat gun, goop it, double sided carpet tape, or use high temp hot glue (the brown stuff not the off white)
Formula 1 cars use UHMW rub strips on the bottoms of any contact prone areas.

I always used white oak replaceable rub strips on the boats I built.


----------



## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

BTW, when you charge a grand or more for a custom canoe it had darn well better be tough.


----------



## fishbait (Nov 11, 2005)

Nice piece of work there TB.


----------



## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks
I've built 4 different strip built designs, 2 lapstrake, 2 stitch and glue, and a 14 foot mahogany runabout.
I love working in wood & glass except for how long it takes to finish.
that boat was a 2+ month project.


----------



## Rick C. (Dec 2, 2002)

Harbor freight has a plastic welding torch on sale for $29 right now (just got one) that will give you a better repair than anything you can stick on. I'm planning to reinforce the drag areas on mine as they are getting thin with use.


----------



## allaroundfishin (May 13, 2006)

http://www.keelguard.com/

Rob check it out it might help kindof steep on price

WARRANY STATES
The KeelGuard is so tough and reliable it is backed with a LIFETIME NO HASSLE WARRANTY. We guarantee it to protect your boat and stay on for life. If it should wear out or have any other problem, you get a replacement free. It is that simple.


----------



## SkunkApe (Dec 9, 2006)

*Wear & Tear*

RR, 
I was wondering when my T160i would wear out on the aft side. I try not to drag it anywhere, I alway carry it, with a healthy "Oooh Raaaa". I hate to see the day when I'm out and the boat ends up in Davy Jones Locker (I'll still be floating )



















I would assume that a plastic weld would do the trick if the sh*t really got bad. Don't know, never been there yet.


----------

