Carbon Strip On Keel

[roz]

Firstly, I'm not 100% sure whether that's the correct name, but here goes!!!

After years of torture launching my boat from the Coffs boat ramp, I've decided to give beach launching a run.

In the middle of last year I went fishing with Murf off Arrawarra Beach, which happens to be five minutes from where I live, compared to over 20 minutes down to Coffs.
After going through a beach launch from Arrawarra & comparing it with the nightmare I have to endure at Coffs, I've decided it's the way to go for me, I would certainly get out on the water more often.

My boat is glass. So what I need is advice regarding protection that can be added to the hull, to guard it from the inevitable abrasion and wear caused during a retrieve off the beach.

Any info greatly appreciated.

thankx roz.

[TheRealAndy]

You will get bugger all wear unless you run the boat up on the beach all the time. The best defence is a strip of stainless steel screwed to the keel.

[mik01]

keelguard?
http://www.keelguard.com/

[oldboot]

West system make a graphite filler for use with their epoxies.....it is suposed to produce a highly abrasion resistant coating.

Some of the blokes have been using on the bottom of their plywood kayaks and such.

The marine epoxies are much harder than the polyester resin in the fibreglass to start with and with the graphite in there it is suposed to come up pretty hard.

might be worth a look.

cheers

[finga]

Gidday mate :)
Good to see you posting.
Keel guard seems to be popular and easy to bung on.
Or drive to a decent ramp at Evans ;)

[roz]

Checked out Keel Guard & it seems like an excellent product, however it's not recommended when the keel rests on rollers, as is the case with my boat.
It seems that would compromise the protective strip, which I can understand.

One of the locals does some sort of protective strip, but I'm waiting for a certain Murf to get back to me:)

Will have a look see at oldboots advice.

Can anyone else add an idea???

roz.

[trueblue]

Keelguards come off if they sit on rollers - happened to a mates boat

I used to worry about the keel on sand a lot.... but don't worry much about it too much any more though, so long as it is soft sand as opposed to heavy shell grit sand.

[ThePinkPanther]

Forget the Keelguard!

Had it on our rescue vessel at VMR and peels off pretty easily.

Absolutely murder trying to re-affix it as everything is upside down and hard to get glue to stay put!

[seabug]

Hi roz,
How would it go to just put extra fibreglass along the keel as a wear strip.

And then if it ever wears out just do it again.
Regards
seabug

[Angla]

Can you alter the roller system on the trailer. My fibreglass boat only sits on wobble rollers and has no centre rollers on the trailer

Chris

[Fish_Two]

Contact Ships marine on the Gold Coast Coast, they make Stainless Steel keel guards for most boats, i have one and would not be without it, you can nudge the glass boat onto the concrete ramp and no damage,

[finga]

Contact Ships marine on the Gold Coast Coast, they make Stainless Steel keel guards for most boats, i have one and would not be without it, you can nudge the glass boat onto the concrete ramp and no damage,
Are they stick on or screwed??

[oldboot]

Hi roz,
How would it go to just put extra fibreglass along the keel as a wear strip.

And then if it ever wears out just do it again.
Regards
seabug

the problem is the resin used to start with.......this is why fibreglass boats scratch up so easily, the acrilic / polyester resin is quite soft.

The modern marine epoxies are considerably harder........this solution would require "some comittment" to the solution and would be quite messy.....you would have to sand/ grind the gell coat to get a decent key ans the epoxy wont chemicaly bond well with the polyester.
Then you would have to mask up the section and paint the stuff on......which requires a bit of skill and at the same time speed and patience.

AND

all this upside down with the boat supported so you can get at the area you want to treat.

I recon it will be a bugger of a job anyway you do it.

If you are beaching on fine soft sand, you probably wont do any damage that cant be buffed out.

cheers

[zigfreed]

Hi Roz

I know the stuff you mean, a few of the boys down there use it. It is a product called CARBORUNDUM. Apparently you can buy it in either a tape roll or as a paint.
I would try Andrew down at the harbourside chanderly to see if he stocks it.
Very hard wearing and the best option i have seen.

If you are dragging your boat up the beach prior to putting it on the trailer you will wear the gel coat eventually not to mention stone damage. I assume this is what you are doing as most people retrieve like that down there.

Arrawarra is heaps better than coffs for fishing, stick with it. I used to go off their a fair bit myself.

The macks are on too a mate got a 22kg last weekend off sapphire.

Cheers

Mick

[Fish_Two]

hi Finga,
Mine is screwed on with lots of sickaflex, use very short screws, no problems at all, i have a 7m glass boat and i launch and retrieve on my own, works very well,

[rhycebullimore]

screwing to your hull ??? are you serious !!! thats crazy talk...im in the process of building customised fiberglass boat and after i have the hull finished i will roll it over...wax up and pva the hull and make a mould of the existing hull 2 inches wide...pop it out make a few keep in shed and sickaflex on the hull...3 yrs down the track when its worn throu in a spot or cracked and in the process saved your hull take it off and put a new one on.

[Dodgy_Back]

Go with the keel guard /keel shield thingy.
It is very good, mine has been on for 18 months now with now issue with it coming away.

Dead easy to install and that 's with a bad back !!!
Alot of the boys that run the glass tournament style boats are using them .
They take alot of punishment and will take away the stress about landing on a rocky beack or you can even bump up onto a ramp with out fear of a scratched and gouged keel.

Go and get one !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mick

[roz]

Hi Roz

I know the stuff you mean, a few of the boys down there use it. It is a product called CARBORUNDUM. Apparently you can buy it in either a tape roll or as a paint.
I would try Andrew down at the harbourside chanderly to see if he stocks it.
Very hard wearing and the best option i have seen.

If you are dragging your boat up the beach prior to putting it on the trailer you will wear the gel coat eventually not to mention stone damage. I assume this is what you are doing as most people retrieve like that down there.

Arrawarra is heaps better than coffs for fishing, stick with it. I used to go off their a fair bit myself.

The macks are on too a mate got a 22kg last weekend off sapphire.

Cheers

Mick

This product seems worth checking out & I agree, dragging my boat over sand, will eventually wear through the gel coat, sooner rather than later.

I found out the hard way after having to repair damage to my hull (my boat's hull LOL) after using rollers not suited to glass boats. Under no circumstances do I want to screw anything into the hull of my VC unless absolutely necessary.

One last thing Mick, do you have to send me into a deep depressive state by mentioning your 22kg mackeral/thingie.

my best stands at a tiny 21.3kg GEEEEZE I hate that.

Cheers roz.

[murf]

Gday Roz

I am back from camping and fishing at Pebbly

only managed to land one Spanish of 17kg, dropped 3 others, one ran under the boat a great rate of knots and Terry couldn't get his rod down quick enough, another I straightened a hook on a Halco 190:-[ lot of fun though ;D

Craig is off work for a month of fishing next week so we will get very serious with you ;)

we will have ya fishing again in no time

still waiting for the spotties to arrive, another week and we will see

talk soon

cheers Murf

ps I need a new tip too haha

[BILLY THE KID]

what about a piece of conveyour belt about 6 feet long that can be dropped over the bow and tied off so it sits under the keel from bow , then you can nudge the beach/ concrete ramp without any fiberglass damage .


such as

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t2/billythakid666/icantdrawinpaint.jpg

[murf]

Hi Roz

I know the stuff you mean, a few of the boys down there use it. It is a product called CARBORUNDUM. Apparently you can buy it in either a tape roll or as a paint.
I would try Andrew down at the harbourside chanderly to see if he stocks it.
Very hard wearing and the best option i have seen.

If you are dragging your boat up the beach prior to putting it on the trailer you will wear the gel coat eventually not to mention stone damage. I assume this is what you are doing as most people retrieve like that down there.

Arrawarra is heaps better than coffs for fishing, stick with it. I used to go off their a fair bit myself.

The macks are on too a mate got a 22kg last weekend off sapphire.

Cheers

Mick

checked out the CARBORUNDUM stuff today for Roz, a mate from Woolgoolga who is a fibre glasser who is now a car sales man did Craigs Seafarer, it is a carborundum powder that he mixes with resin and some black colour, then sands the area for it to applicated and masks it up and paints it on. The local surf board maker Adam will do it, he just has to get the powder in

I will keep you up dated

cheers Murf

[JB]

How bout replace the VC with a platey :)

[murf]

How bout replace the VC with a platey :)


haha I think she has even thought about an ally so she can put the loved VC in cotton wool ;D

cheers Murf