Repairing Plastic Boats/kayak/canoes

[MuskieMoe]

I just recently brought a plastic bass buggy for dirt cheep. There is a small crack on the bottom where some water gets in between the two shells of the boat. The previous owner said that only a little water get in and he just drains it after every use. I believe him and the price of the boat is worth the risk anyway. What would be the best way to seal the crack? Some people has suggested JB Weld or that spray stuff to seal up gutters, the one with the TV commercial where the guy is out on the lake in a sealed up door screen. Would a plastic lure resin work the best? I have plenty of time to research I will not get out on the water till late April or early May. And yes I will test it well in shallow water before using it.

Thanks,

Muskie Moe

[Seachaser]

I would take some fiberglass matt and wet it down with slow curing epoxy. That is some strong stuff.

[dahlberg]

when it comes to joining two surfaces there are two type of "bonds" you can go for with adhesives. One is a chemical bond where the adhesive actually reacts with the surface of what you are bonding and it creates a "chemical weld". The other type of bond is simply mechanical; in other words the glue is bonding to the surface by adhesion.
Usually the type of adhesive that will create a chemical weld will give you be best results. My first choice would be to make a patch of the same material the boat is made of and glue it with an adhesive that would make a chemical bond.
If I couldn't find that type of adhesive, I would make a patch, rough up both surfaces to be bonded, then I'd glue it with Shoe Goop!
Best of luck!
L

[Mike - Alumilite]

Do you know what the bass buggy is made out of ... is it ABS or by chance PE or HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene)?? If you don't know or can't find out, sometime they have the recyclable triangle symbol stamped or molded into the plastic somewhere. If and when they do, inside the triangle, they will have the abbreviation of the type of plastic. If I'm thinking of the right boat, often those boats are simply vacuum formed or thermoformed shells which they then bond together. Often times ABS is used in thermoforming applications. If it is injection molded, it is often times made of HDPE or HDPP (polypropylene).

The reason it is helpful to know is that ABS is easily bondable with adhesives and you can obtain that chemical weld that Larry mentioned. However HDPE and HDPP contain internal waxes in the plastic and are practically impossible to bond at all, let alone trying to get a chemical weld. So the type of plastic the boat is made out of really makes a difference as to what I would suggest trying.

You might even be able to find it on the mfg's website.

If it is is HDPE or HDPP, I might even simply try to caulk it with a one part silicone hardware adhesive and simply rough the surface up and then clean it exceptionally well, then apply the silicone caulk. Silicone caulk has built in adhesion promoters that help the silicone "stick" to practically anything. You will not get a chemical weld with them but they will patch your thin areas very well. If need be, build up layers a couple days apart. If you apply it too thick, the outer surface will skin over and cure and leave the inside wet and uncured. Silicone caulk requires relative moisture from the surface of your part and from the air to cure.

If it is ABS, I'd recommend an MMA ... methyl mythacrylate. This is a two part industrial glue that will chemically weld ABS and give you a structural bond/repair. You could probably find a 50 ml cartridge and hand applicator, and static mixer to make quick work of your repair.

Mike