5 Steps To Patch Your Kayak With Gator Guards

Protect your investment and be ready in a pinch

By
Ric Burnley
-

Even tough rotomolded and thermoformed kayaks need protection and repair. Gator Patch polyester resin patches from Gator Guards are the strongest way to protect or fix contact points on a kayak. Now, the patch material comes in a 36-inch roll to fix or protect any part of the boat.

[ See also: Save Yourself With This DIY Kayak Repair Kit ]

Nick Barr, Gator Guards’ VP of Sales, gave us a step-by-step demonstration of their Gator Patch product.

BUY ON AMAZON SHOP GATOR GUARDS ON AMAZON

Repair Your Kayak with Gator Patch

1 Prepare the Surface

Start by sanding the plastic to rough-up the contact point. Next, prepare the area for patching by wiping off dust and dirt with rubbing alcohol and allowing it to dry.

man demonstrates how to prepare boat before patching
Prepare the kayak’s surface by sanding and cleaning the area to be patched.

2Place the Patch

After sizing up the patch, cut a piece of the material to fit over the area and removed the backing, slowly affixing the patch to the hull.

man affixes Gator Patch to kayak
Affix the Gator Patch along the center line with smooth, even pressure.

[ Browse the widest selection of boats and gear in the Kayak Angler Buyer’s Guide ]

3Smooth the Patch

Start in the center and press out toward the sides, firmly pushing out air bubbles and creases. Use a rubber mallet or roller to further press and roll out imperfections.

man smooths the Gator Patch with a rubber mallet
Use your thumbs and a rubber mallet to smooth out the Gator Patch.

4 Remove Film

Once the patch is attached, remove the plastic film on top of the material and further squeeze and work out air bubbles and creases.

man removes top film from the Gator Patch
Remove the top film and smooth out any remaining imperfections.

[ Read more: How Manufacturers Repurpose Old Plastic For Kayak Fishing ]

5 Cure in Sun

Finally, set the patch in the sun to cure. Average wait time is 30 minutes to an hour, but could be as short as a few minutes on a hot, sunny day. Once the resin cures, the patch can be sanded, painted and molded to perfection.

cure the patch in sunlight or use UV light
The Gator Patch will cure to hardness in 30–60 minutes of full sunlight, or use a UV light.

Gator Patch polyester resin patches from Gator Guards are the strongest way to protect or fix contact points on a kayak. | Feature image: Kayak Angler/YouTube

 

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Ric Burnley
Kayak Angler editor Ric Burnley has been kayak fishing since the dawn of the sport. In 2007, Burnley wrote The Complete Kayak Fisherman, with chapters on how-to make a PVC rod holder and glue a fish finder transducer to the hull. In 2013, he landed his dream job as editor of Kayak Angler magazine. Burnley is a regular contributor to Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Outdoor Life, In the Bite and other print and online publications. Burnley lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, adult daughter, daughter’s boyfriend and daughter’s two cats. Experience In 2004, Ric Burnley stole his first milk crate from behind a 7-Eleven and fashioned it into a gear crate for his Ocean Kayak Prowler 15. Many years and many milk crates later, Burnley has witnessed the rise of kayak fishing from a bastardized fringe element to a legitimate industry with millions of devotees. The journey to becoming an angler started early in Burnley’s life. His father, Eric Burnley, is a renowned outdoor writer and former fishing guide, so the boy grew up in the cockpit of a charter boat and in the pages of national magazines. After college, Burnley lost easy access to his father’s boat, but not his passion for fishing. Once he had exhausted the limits of land-based angling, Burnley decided to try out a new thing called kayak fishing. About the same time, Burnley was looking for extra work to pay for his expensive addiction. His father, editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman Magazine, offered him freelance assignments for the weekly publication. That led to a position as regional editor at Salt Water Sportsman, publication of The Complete Kayak Fisherman and editorship of Kayak Angler. Meanwhile, Burnley and his partner-in-crime, “Kayak Kevin” Whitley were exploring the boundaries of kayak fishing. With the bountiful Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean as their playground, the two anglers were the first to target big red drum, cobia, trophy striped bass, monster black drum, sheepshead and many other species. Once inshore species were exhausted, Burnley loaded his kayak onto motorboats and fished for bluefin tuna, blackfin tuna, king mackerel and amberjack. All the while, Burnley shared his experiences and knowledge with anglers through print, photos, video, radio, seminars and online. Almost 20 years later, Burnley continues to fish obsessively and share the stories. His recent projects for Kayak Angler cover the latest trends in forward-facing sonar and remote-controlled electric motors. Over the past two decades, kayak fishing and Ric Burnley have come a long way from PVC rod holders and stolen milkcrates. Education ● Radford University: BA English; Virginia Teacher’s License. Highlights ● Other Interests: Mountain biking, traveling, hiking, surfing and skateboarding ● Day Job: High School English teacher at an alternative school for at-risk students Fun Fact Ric’s name is a contraction of Eric. Ric is named after his father, Eric Sr. To differentiate between the two Erics, Mrs. Burnley removed her son’s E. To this day, she writes the boy’s name ‘Ric, with an apostrophe replacing the E.

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