Poll: Keel Guard

[Gromulin]

New to me boat has some gel-coat damage where someone beached in the wrong spot and landed up on a rock it looks like. Can see mesh about .5 inch wide at apex of keel...not damaged fiberglass, just missing gel-coat...are stick-on keel guards worthwhile or is it just better to grind, patch and gel-coat?

 

[slasmith1]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

If it were me I would repair it properly. If you intend to continue running it up on the beach a keel guard is a good idea after it has been properly repaired.

 

[Challenger84]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

If it were me I would repair it properly. If you intend to continue running it up on the beach a keel guard is a good idea after it has been properly repaired.

+1 on the repair then keel guard.

 

[badkins50]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

+1 on the repair then keel guard.

+2 repair then guard

 

[riptide09]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

+3 on Repair + Keel Guard.

I had a similar situation. My keel had a few nicks and scratches and one area about the size between a nickel and a quarter through the gel coat into the fiberglass. I sanded around the damaged area and cleaned up the hole and fiberglass. I used some Marine Tex to fill the scratches and the damaged area. It took a couple of applications to get the hole area fixed. Once the repair was done I installed a Keel Guard.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

Agree on the repair then apply the keel guard.

I have a catamaran that sits on a trailer during storage. The KG company advised against applying the keel guard in my particular application.

After scratching the gelcoat on our new boat, and the wife informing me that we would be doing more beaching, I went ahead and applied it anyway.

I did change their procedure to try to counteract the weight of the boat sitting on the kg, and so far I am very happy I did it.

To date the kg has saved me from puncturing a 1" hole in the hull when we grounded at speed on the coral rock bottom of the Homasassa river, a huge scrape from power loading in too shallow water, and numerous beachings. Tore large pieces the vinyl loose but no damage to the hull.

The down side is that I may have lost 1 mph at WOT, and due to the sharper angle of the entry the vinyl has pulled loose from the tape in a couple spots. This, as well as the damage done by the grounding and loading, I repaired with 5200 and 4200.

I will be replacing them when the time comes and I know it wont be fun, but the damage I have saved and the money I have saved in repairs will make it well worth it.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

1. patch
2. don't add keel guard unless you routinely beach on a rocky beach.

 

[Mordekai]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

I have a 7' keelguard on mine and it doesn't completely protect your keel from all damage fyi since it doesn't wrap around past 4 inches on both side?

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

Marine tex and guard for me. Still high and dry. The white guard yellowed after time but it's still protecting.

 

[Gromulin]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

OK...repair first and apply guard. We do a lot of camping, and although I try to avoid beaching, it's bound to happen to get kids on and off. Thanks for the straight-forward replies!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

years of boating without one but also no significant damage. Of course, this spring I contemplated putting on one, and didn't. A couple weeks later I beach in a new area that I THOUGHT was completely clear of rocks, except for the one under my hull.

Result was a nice 5 inch long gash down to the fiberglass. Repaired it and then immediately installed a keel guard!! Wish I would have earlier.

 

[65fordguy]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

Keel Gaurd works great... looks good too.

I had the same issue.. sanded the whole area where the keel guard would go,
prepped it very well ( THIS IS the KEY to good adhesion)

applied it starting at the top laying down in center of the boat and worked my way down... after it had set up I applied a liberal amount of clear WATER PROOF sealant/ adhesive around the edges .. I got the kind that seeps into cracks.. I forget the brand but you can get it at automotive parts stores..

Mine has been on now for 3 months several trips to the lake and 1 trip to the Arkansas River.. where I ran a 30 mile round trip... no issues.

O and the next time you accidentally bump a rock or even the boat ramp.. you wont have to worry about it hurting your hull. . . that trip to the river .. when we were off loading to go get the truck a heavy wake through my boat into a couple rocks and back on to the boat ramp.. I nearly had a fit.. but when it landed I heard a clump.. not a hard scrap like fiberglass does.. I knew then that the guard had done its job.. sure enough no scrapes on the hull. It became worth every penny at that moment.

Happy Boating.

 

[MAXXIE]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

What kind of pie is it?

 

[slasmith1]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

What kind of pie is it?

I hope it is apple, I love apple.

 

[RicMic]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

I've got an old beater trihull, the keel was battered bad when I got it from the last owner doing the same. It was a free boat so no biggie. I didn't like the look of the repair, so one day at work I noticed a mangled length of aluminum angle about 7' long, bent nearly on the same angle as my boat's keel. I hammered it to match the rest of the way, took two tubes of windshield adhesive and stuck it on there. It works great and I won't have to worry about grinding through the keel for many years now. Plus I get a kick out of watching people cringe when I drive up to the ramp and beach the bow right on the concrete. The scraping sounds get everyone's attention. The boat is worthless and looks like a total load anyhow, but it don't leak and runs fine, so I don't much care what I do to it. It's the perfect boat to teach someone docking skills in too. The rub rail was torn off when I got it too, I also liked the both sides with 3" aluminum half round as well. Its like driving a bumper car. I could hit the dock at a pretty good clip and not damage that rail. I'm the boat no one wants to park near. The camo motor on the green hull with red seats, and sawed off windshield, with some old tires for fenders. Not to mention several seasons of dried up bait on the deck.

Up on lakes in Ontario, the shoreline is all rocks and many of the boats have an angle iron keel guard, it may not be pretty, but it does hold up to landing on the rocks.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

busted,I like your style. for me, a boat is a tool, a means to an end, not fine furniture.
By the way, old fire hose makes a good rubrail, too.

 

[MacPointMan]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

I though about doing this after I get the Gelcoat restored on my boat. My boat is 22 years old and has some fouling on the hull with some cracks and bubbling in the gelcoat. But I figure a good keelguard can't hurt.

MacPointman

 

[Gromulin]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

Just got back from 4 days on a lake with mixed sand and rock beaches. Even with the anchor-bungee setup, I still added a couple more nicks to it.

I'm gonna buy one and get the gel coat prepped and installed ASAP.

PS. Blackberry / Rhubarb Pie.

 

[ScotWithOne_t]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

I might get one after I finish my fiberglass rework so that this doesn't happen again:

Although, I have a feeling a Keel Guard would have just torn off and I'd have to replace a $200 strip of rubber instead of $60 worth of fiberglass supplies.

 

[Gromulin]

Re: Poll: Keel Guard

I might get one after I finish my fiberglass rework so that this doesn't happen again:

Although, I have a feeling a Keel Guard would have just torn off and I'd have to replace a $200 strip of rubber instead of $60 worth of fiberglass supplies.

Scot, I saw your other thread...man, what a bummer. I went from test ride to purchased to on a lake at 4000' in three days. I didn't have any big boo-boo's...but sure can understand what it's like to try to get comfortable with a new vehicle of any kind in just a few days. I spent 4 days on the lake with a new boat that I was still just getting to know, and can imagine how F'd up it would have been to run aground like that.