Kevlar Skid Guards Source?

[Maine Woodsman]

you guys are awesome!
MW

 

[Alan Gage]

Alan, that result from last year really isn't really due to the materials used as much as paddling in Shield country.

I won't argue with that. I don't baby my boats and that trip was much more extreme than I'd ever done before but that month going down and back up the Bloodvein wore my stems more than 6 years of my 'normal' paddling. Those rocks are sharp.

Alan

 

[sailsman63]

Question about the polyester fleace: Does it become translucent? If so, would white fleace be pretty much clear? Might be worth considering for a bright-finish strip canoe... Jim Dodd

 

[Jim Dodd]

Question about the polyester fleace: Does it become translucent? If so, would white fleace be pretty much clear? Might be worth considering for a bright-finish strip canoe... Jim Dodd

​I don't think so. I haven't tried white, but doubt it would change like fiberglass. It would be cool if it did ! I'll have to try it !

Jim

 

[Guest]

Question about the polyester fleace: Does it become translucent?

For the record Dynel, or at least all of the Dynel I have used, goes a dull whiteish with epoxy, nowhere near as clear as fiberglass. Left whiteish it is not especially attractive.

I don’t mind the contrast of a black skid plate on most boats, so I add graphite powder and a dab of black pigment to the epoxy mix before saturating the cloth.

I top coat the skid plates with paint in any case so the epoxy has some UV protection. The paint is scuffs and scratches sacrificial, but if the paint is the same color as the pigmented epoxy underneath it doesn’t look bad, and is easy enough to touch up occasionally.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Mike, have you settled on a best amount of graphite powder for the mix? I used that in my last set, but I was wingin' it and honestly didn't record how much I ended up using. I don't recall adding pigment to that one (although I had some here). I never did paint over it, on the idea that the graphite would make it opaque enough to block all but surface uv damage. So far, I haven't noticed anything but actual abrasion.

 

[Guest]

Mike, have you settled on a best amount of graphite powder for the mix? I used that in my last set, but I was wingin' it and honestly didn't record how much I ended up using. I don't recall adding pigment to that one (although I had some here). I never did paint over it, on the idea that the graphite would make it opaque enough to block all but surface uv damage. So far, I haven't noticed anything but actual abrasion.

Steve, the instructions on the back of the West 423 graphite powder can read “mix up to 10% by volume or one tablespoon per 5 oz of epoxy”.

I kinda wing it too. With skid plates I mix a small pot of epoxy to start, ¾ of a cup or so (6oz) at most, and add a heaping teaspoon of graphite powder. If I find I need more epoxy to saturate the cloth I make the appropriate smaller batch of epoxy and graphite powder.

Mixing the graphite powder is itself a challenge. That stuff is as close to weightless as anything I have ever handled. If you dump a full teaspoon into the epoxy and try to stir it will fly about. The best methodology I have found is to tap a small amount off the spoon, stir, tap, stir, tap, stir. Even so the graphite powder has a static electricity desire to fluff up the edges of the mixing pot and stick to the dry sides.

If I am using graphite power and going for a black skid plate I add a tiny dab of pigment to the mix for the blackest of black. The top coat of paint may be superfluous, but some of my boats are stored outside and, having seen what UV exposure can do to unprotected epoxy, figure it can’t hurt. Plus the paint topcoat gives me a second chance to get nice clean edge lines on the black.