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Kayak Keel Guards
#14381255
05/31/22 01:16 PM
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 128
Jason1976
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 128 |
I am about to purchase two kayaks I was curious does anyone suggest the use of keel guards as I want to protect my investment. What is the durability like with 12ft kayaks. Looking at the Old Town 120 sportsman
I spend most of my time fishing the rest I just waste
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Re: Kayak Keel Guards
[Re: Jason1976]
#14381551
05/31/22 05:31 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,755
christian myrick
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,755 |
I know there is a cut to fit one mariner sails offers. You heat it in hot water and warm the hull with a heat gun and it just shapes to your bow and or stern. I have yet to use one but have many times thought about it
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Re: Kayak Keel Guards
[Re: Jason1976]
#14381907
06/01/22 12:55 AM
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 128
Jason1976
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 128 |
I spend most of my time fishing the rest I just waste
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Re: Kayak Keel Guards
[Re: Jason1976]
#14382126
06/01/22 12:16 PM
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Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,243
Jerry713
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,243 |
I am about to purchase two kayaks I was curious does anyone suggest the use of keel guards as I want to protect my investment. What is the durability like with 12ft kayaks. Looking at the Old Town 120 sportsman Durability depends on how you use them. Run the nose up on concrete ramps, rocks, or anything else hard and abrasive all the time and you'll have a hole in the yak before long regardless of who makes it. Keel guards are smart investments. You can buy a thick one that will last longer but will slow you down slightly though you probably won't notice any difference. I did a diy with a piece of pvc and didn't like it. I've used KeelEasy on my kayaks for years. It's a peel n stick type that is applied using either a heat gun or hair dryer super easy to install and the adhesion is excellent as long as you clean the kayak very well with 91% isopropyl alcohol. While I am careful with my kayak the KeelEasy has lasted. It's not thick at all but works well for me and it's 1/3 of the cost of some others in that peel n stick class.
You get out of it what you put into it!
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Re: Kayak Keel Guards
[Re: Jason1976]
#14383084
06/02/22 01:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,352
Jimbo
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,352 |
If you are going for short distances say from a parking lot to a boat ramp you can use a cart. Beaching a kayak is easy to not get deep gouge marks on your keel if you take care. Adding anything to the hull adds weight that will slow you down. I thought about a keel guard way back when I first got my new kayak, and then I watched some guys on two different occasions drag their kayak across a gravel and asphalt parking lot about 50 yards down to the water. I figured they were nuts or those kayaks were rented or borrowed. Something I'd never do! After that I never worried about a few scratches or patina as I call it.
Just one more cast!
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Re: Kayak Keel Guards
[Re: Jason1976]
#14383097
06/02/22 01:30 PM
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Joined: May 2022
Posts: 22
S5Locks.com
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 22 |
I need to get a cart. Currently I just unload and carry it. Try not to drag it. But on the keel guard I'm sure you could get something thin that isn't a performance hindrance. But it seems like a spinning your wheels kind of thing. You're going to get scratches as time goes on. Seems to me that unless you were really consistently careless, ie dragging across the parking lot, it would be tough to significantly hurt the hull.
Bill Smith Owner/S5 Coupler Locks S5Locks.com "Lock it and Leave it!"
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Re: Kayak Keel Guards
[Re: Jason1976]
#14387401
06/07/22 04:23 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 24,602
lconn4
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 24,602 |
99 percent of folks kayak fishing with a quality brand will never wear through the keel no matter how hard they try. 
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