Cracked agricultural water tank repair with a plastic welder. How to repair a plastic coleman canoe gone outdoors. Allow the plastic to mix around the reinforcement for strength. Two layers of 4 oz fiberglass or four layers of 2 oz are applied to the inside of the hull and one layer of 4 oz or two layers of 2 oz are applied to the outside of the break to complete a repair for canoes and kayaks. How to repair a cracked plastic auto body part using epoxy. Fortunately, it is a material that rarely needs repair, but there will be times. Occasionally though people damage them and call us for repair recommendations. Repair of abs plastic boat i repaired a bass hunter plastic boat that had a crack on the hull located on a curve and at a groove.
I figure the stress of pullingpushing on often sticky valves over the years had caused the cracks. One of the universal truths about polyethylene is that it is difficult to repair. Since all of the new boats have gone with linear plastic, this is much more of a challenge than back in the days of crosslink. Patch pinhole leaks or add drings to your inflatable or repair a damaged wood transom all with the gflex 655k. The basic plastic boat repair methods described here still represent best practices, but for optimal results use these methods with gflex 655 epoxy on plastics. But you can fix broken plastic trim if you follow a few steps. How to repair cracks in plastic using hot water reconnect small cracks in plastic using hot water. If its a large crack, you may want to tape a piece of thingauge metal or plastic over the crack. Exposure to sun, wind, and rain can cause damage to marine seating and plastic moldings in boats, yachts and personal watercraft. Fill a container of hot water and a container of cold water. Before doing to repair, make sure of a good preparation of the damaged area. Turn the tube 180 degrees and rapidly wipe magicezy hairline fix along the crack with level. To match the thickness of the original plastic, we had to melt in 3 passes layers of the. Heres an easy way to fix and color stress cracks in seconds and its so tough it comes with a 3 year durability guarantee magicezy hairline fix is a revolutionary precolored fiberglass and gelcoat repair product that fixes and colors fine stress cracks spider cracks, and hairline fractures fast in one application.
Clean the level with a tissue and trim away excess smears. Shallow scratches and gouges are sometimes best lived with. Make it two inches longer than the crack and two inches wider, or two inches greater, than the diameter of. Short of actually plastic welding, there are a few quick fixes that will keep a rotomolded hull from getting too rough, or for bringing a deformed hull back into round. Bass boat dash panel repair advancing polymer repair. Venturetubes got ya covered this video takes you through the process to repair any plastic kayak thats been damaged. May 04, 2015 this entry was posted in boat repair, fixing broken stuff. Plastic may be one of the most versatile building components, but it is still susceptible to wear and tear that can force cracks. Every repair method has its pros and cons, but i like johns technique because it is fast, cheap, and easy. If youre using reinforcement, support the hull and realign the crack, then press the mesh or rod into the plastic as you heat.
The livewell is intact but has hairline cracks all through it. Unlike glass windshields, the majority of plastic windshields are safe when put under stress. A little googling research revealed that this boat is a polyethylene construction. West epoxy also has a demo video of use of gflex to repair the tail of a kayak that has been sawed off entirely. Its not much of a bother to me to look at it but im worried it will get worse. The 1960s saw the biggest change over from metal to plastic. My first stop was this forum and now id like to share my experience in how i went about repairing the cracks on my 216. It doesnt take much to get this plastic boat repair done. Unless quite deep, they are cosmetic in nature and will not impact the integrity of the hull. Pond boat repair bass boats, canoes, kayaks and more bass. The first, if your canvas is still good then consider just replacing the vinyl. Jun 14, 2019 eventually, these plastic components fade and crack, leaving you with the task of replacing it or living with busted parts on your car. To make repairing your kayak or canoe easier, west system offers a plastic boat repair kit that includes all of the materials needed for small to medium sized repairs.
If you add fillers the coefficient looks like glass reinforce plastic. It will let you know if you have the taste for it before you get into the big buy in. Advance auto and napa both carry a product 2 part epoxy type called plastic weld system made by versa chem corp. I bought the boat for next to nothing and was determined to repair the boat. Qty 1 west system 655k gflex epoxy adhesive plastic boat repair kit. How to fix small hole in plastic boat bass boats, canoes. How to repair a cracked plexiglass windshield it still runs.
It looks like a spider web with cracks going in every direction. A local sailor stopped by our shop with an old plastic hatch that was slightly warped and badly cracked. Working with a fiberglass, or even a wooden hull, you will need to start by cleaning out the crack and affected area. Both are located right at the top of the tank at the rounded corners near my waste valves. Multiple layers of light fiberglass fabric are best. That year they made thier own livewells from fiberglass instead of plastic like most boats. Canoe kayak repair kit plastic boat west system 655k epoxy. A few weeks ago while i was testing my rv holding tank capacities, i discovered two small cracks. All plastic repairs are fixed in a similar fashion, so no matter if you are working on the plastic hood or bumper of a john deere lawn tractor, a bicycle fender or the rear bumper of a car, you can use the same methods.
He actually sent it back to blazer and had them repair it several years ago but the repair didnt work. Make sure no air bubbles or gaps are left in the cracks, and use a plastic resin spreader, putty knife, tongue depressor, or similar object to smooth out. In this video, we will demonstrate how to repair cracks and holes in abs plastic using polyvances 2503 black plastifix repair kit. We repair sun damaged boat seats with cracks, rips and fades. Crack in transom grady white boat owners forum grady. Use plenty of tape and a plastic sheet to protect the boat from damage and drips.
I was given a kayak but it had six cracks in the hull and would eve. Take the plastic out of the water and connect the cracked plastic. Plastic kayak patch kit canoe repair kc welder youtube. Jul 17, 2017 prepare the back of the plastic item by scuffing it with 50grit sandpaper to ensure an effective bond. May 22, 2012 i am pretty sure those plastic radiator tanks are made of abs plastic, you could try using epoxy or abs cement with a strip or patch of plastic over the crack. This crack on the cabin top seems to be a common place for the 216 to crack as every one i looked at had this crack. May 26, 2019 the material that many plastic canoes and kayaks are made of is called highdensity polyethylene hdpe, and it is an extremely difficult material to repair. I set out fixing the 3 crack on the cabin top by using the miniweld model 7 airless plastic weld with asa plastic welding rod asa is luran s, what the boat is made out of. If all else fails i have actually seen the radiator stop leak work on cracked header tanks. We used a rotary tool with a teardrop shaped bit to grind a vgroove along the crack line.
Next, align the cracks and apply aluminum tape on the front to hold the cracks. Repair splits, cracks and small holes in plastic canoes, kayaks and other small boats made from hdpe, ldpe, abs, pvc or polycarbonate plastic with the contents of this kit. Mar 18, 2009 if you already used super glue on the crack then it will not help to try using a special plastic glue now. What could have caused this and what course of action do i have. Repair a leaking ez dock fixing a cracked or punctured. Sep 24, 2014 the basic plastic boat repair methods described here still represent best practices, but for optimal results use these methods with gflex 655 epoxy on plastics. When repairing small plastic boats, the relatively thin hull helps reduce the stress in the repair because the entire bottom or side will often deflect a significant amount under a small load. Plastic boat repair kit with gflex thickened epoxy by west. How to repair a broken plastic fender it still runs.
Plastic boat repair kit with gflex thickened epoxy by. May 19, 2011 this tells how to fix a crack, not a hole. Sounds like epoxy would be best for the deck areas that are cracked. Boat seat repair plastic molding restoration fibrenew. How to prepare an auto body plastic repair part for repair.
Plastic that is cracked, punctured or badly dented can be difficult to repair. Plastic polyethylene boats are hardest to patch, but sometimes can be fixed with plastic welding. Cover the front of the item which is the visible part with tape or something else to act as a backing for the adhesive. Repairs made at lower temperatures will take longer to cure. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters. The coefficient of expansion of luran is the same as epoxy and ma300. Molded plastic canoes and kayaks are incredibly tough and durable. I dremmeled out the crack, heated up the sides of the crack, then melted the plastic rod through the extrusion hole into the crack. At eplastics we can replicate many old boat windows that are no longer being produced by the manufacturer.
There is only one of two ways to repair a crack in a vinyl window. Plastic hunter crack repair sailboat owners forums. If you have some gouges with raised feathers of material around the edges. This type of repair is necessary if you run aground, run into a rock, or have some of crack caused by age and use. You may want to consider 3m 4040 as a repair material. But, finding a replacement plastic windshield can be difficult. The body panels used on the old lumina apv vans and saturns use plastic body panels. Mix the gelcoat thoroughly following the manufacturers recommendations. Some are as cheap as 20 bucks and as high as 100 here where i am. How to repair a plastic coleman canoe gone outdoors your. The repair resin is designed to harden within 8 10 minutes and cures in 30 minutes.
This is my second year tournament fishing and to be honest when my fishing partner has had enough or move. Wipe away any excess adhesive that spills outside of the crack onto the windshield. To repair a crack you are trying to get the epoxy to join together the cracked part so the goal is the middle, not to either side. Plastic boat repair kit with gflex thickened epoxy by west system. This is an instructable describing a really easy and cheap way of effectively repairing cracks in your kayak or canoe, using nothing more than a drill, cloth tape and a hair dryer. Hull repair is fairly easy for someone who owns a small fiberglass boat of their own. Repair splits, cracks and small holes in plastic canoes, kayaks and other small boats made from hdpe, ldpe, abs, pvc or polycarbonate plastic with the. Theres a screw in the plastic molding where the crack starts. A sharp scraping tool must be used to bevel both sides of a crack, and if theres access, the inside portion of the crack as well. In most cases, we see better quality welds when using ldpe rod for typical crack or hole repair on boat hulls and atv plastics. Many people dont realize that a marine fabricator can come in and do this without replacing the entire panel. Fill the crack with plexus using a spatula or popsicle strick to spread the material evenly and sparingly. Sand the surrounding area with 220 grit sand paper and clean and dry the are thoroghly.
Although the plastic hull shell has deflected significantly, the overall stress in the material is low. It also has 23 holes about the size of a quarter in the side. Adding too much catalyst gives insufficient working time. The duct tape will need to overlap the plastic and the edge of the fiberglass patch. Although quite durable, the hull of a rotomolded canoe or kayak tends to show its wear in the form of minute scratches and. I think it is pretty obvious you can sink a lot of time and money in the boat if you want to and you still have a plastic boat that will have issues. These plastics, which you might find on plastic furniture or appliances, can be repaired with twopart epoxy resin.
Score a piece of polyethylene from your scrap piece. The trick is to repair the crack or split with a product and technique that offers the best reinforcement and strength. Repairs can be made ideally at temperatures from 50f to 75f 10c to 25c. Depending on the type of repair cracks versus gouges versus holes and the size of them, the procedures vary. We also specialize in the restoration of plastic molding and consoles. After a quick amazon search for a repair kit, i was in business. Additional tools are required to do the work properly. The convenient double syringe dispenses equal amounts of each component every time. Flexible plastic epoxy repair kit or similar products. Repairs cracks up to 4 inches in length and holes up to 38 inch in diameter. Many times a cracked or punctured ez dock section can be repaired by simply melting the polyethylene dock material with a torch or plastic welding iron a large hot metal iron that melts the plastic together.
Plastic fenders on atvs, motorcycles and automobiles can suffer any number of damages, particularly impact damage from abuse or collisions. Loctite epoxy plastic bonder is specially formulated to bond and repair plastic surfaces. When you have a crack in your boat, thrill with your makita or whatever, maybe a hot little nail or screwdriver on both ends a small whole 3mm. One of the cracks is in the black waste tank and the other in my shower grey tank.
But it may be possible for you to make a fiberglass patch over the hole, just thick enough to hold its shape, then try this duct tape trick. Jun 26, 2018 honestly, the boat will likely get more cracks here and there over time, glue them up. Its at the corner on the u right where the horizontal part of the transom meets the vertical part. Depending upon the material makeup of the plastic, it can be repaired in a number of ways by using different products and applications. Cracked, faded, and stained vinyl seats are unfortunately par for the course when you own a boat or jet ski, and replacing or traditionally restoring these seats can cost hundreds of dollars. Since we couldnt get inside the poly water storage tank, we had to do the entire repair from the outside. Fortunately, plastic can be repaired with acrylic solvent. Johns boat had yes, thirteen cracks in the bottom of it, but he had successfully patched every one of them. Jb weld 8237 plasticweld plastic repair epoxy putty2 oz. Jb weld 8237 plasticweld plastic repair epoxy putty 2 oz. With images kayaking, kayak fishing setup, canoe boat. Repair of abs plastic boat check with a chevrolet dealer that has a body shop or a saturn dealer. Fortunately, modern plastics remember their shape, and if you apply heat with a hair dryer or a carefully applied torch to a fairly moderate dent, the hull should pop back into shape.
If it doesnt mix well, the weld will pop open when it cools or is under stress, dors cautions. The basic plastic boat repair methods described here still representbest practices, but for optimalresults use these methods with gflex 655 epoxy on plastics. Yeah, we need to know the boat material and the location and extent of the hole. The adhesive will be as thin as water, so be careful not to use too much pressure when injecting it into the crack using an adhesive gun or injector. Some plastics, such as crosslinked polyethylene or pex, and polycarbonates, dont respond well to heat, and its difficult to repair cracks by fusion welding. Apr 25, 20 the repair begins by opening the crack to a vshaped groove with a dremmel tool, sand paper or a mat knife. West system gflex 655k plastic boat repair kit west marine. Craigslist canoe and all the supplies purchased and ive got myself a functioning boat for. Plastic windshields are extremely durable and less susceptible to breaking than glass windshields. Mask off the repair, leaving about 2 inches all the way around. I tried squeezing 5200 in it but its so fine i dont think anything got in there. The plastic boat repair kit features plastic friendly gflex 655 thickened epoxy adhesive, and is assembled with the doityourselfer in mind.
To get started, clean the plastic with plastic cleaner or soap and water. However, if your boat is laid up due to such a crack and the option doesnt exist to. When mixed in equal volumes, the components react to produce a tough, rigid, high strength bond in 20 to 25 minutes. Can repairs be made to cracks in the plastic on john deere. The same chemical properties that make your boat extremely flexible and durable also prevent other materials from bonding to it. Gflex bonds tenaciously to these plastics and makes it possible to repair cracks, holes and other damage on various types of plastics. Replacing these weatherbeaten components is expensive and often requires long wait times for replacement parts to be ordered and replaced. On a cowl, it will be a ridgid repair with some flex in the material, so it wont re crack when you take the cowl off and on etc. How to repair a cracked water tank outlet do it yourself rv. Make it two inches longer than the crack and two inches wider, or two inches greater, than the diameter of the hole in the hdpe. For a temporary repair to keep water out until you. Restoration by fibrenew saves boat owners time, money and hassle as we come.