TOPIC: Dinghy or KeelGuard?

Use my Skagit 17 to visit beaches in San Juan Islands. Not all have docks or docks are full. Don't want to damage my boat. Should I pull a dinghy? Perhaps slow and something of a nuisance. Or, put a KeelGuard on my boat and beach it (involve a bit of wading in icy water?) Decisions, decisions.

If you don't want to do the keel guard how about an inflatable raft? anchor so you can pole off the bottom and with the battery powered inflators they will pump up very fast and can fold it up enough that it isn't a huge pain while you are cruising.

One important thing to keep in mind with KeelGuards: The mfg does not recommend using them if your trailer has center rollers! (I know there's already been discussion on rollers vs. bunkboards, see the trailers forum. Even though many have changed over to bunks, there are still center rollers retained on many, right?) I researched the KeelGuards due to many nice boats having a worn keel due to beaching (common usage to many folks).

We won't even bring up the shoe-goo thing again, okay!? It seemd to be one of those inflammatory subjects that angered the purists

I came back after a week of cooling off. This is one reason I will not be back. Shoo Goo works and works well. Why belittle something that works. After 3 years of hard usage mine is as good as the day it was applied. We have few docks here at public access. Too all the good people, SO LONG.

I wasn't "belittling" anything, or anybody, let me email robert and apologize. Dang, I was just, ..........nevermind. How I manage to step so deep into the dog doo doo sometimes!??

Robert,

I wasn't belittling you or your sho-goo idea! I certainly apologize if you were offended. If you'll check the original post where this was discussed, I liked the idea and wanted more info. If anything, I was poking fun at the "purists", I swear. Don't let me saying something stupid trying to be funny run you off. If it makes you happy, I'll just read and quit posting on the forums. You've been around here a long time, and have much more knowledge than I, REALLY.

MarkS

what is shoe-goo. i need some protection for the mantaray hulls. i've seen keel guard but it is much too wide. ron

Hey Ron,

Have a read here. leaks in boat

Robert has had great success with a product originally intended to repair shoes. Seems to resist abrasion better than his original fiberglass repairs.

Might not be a solution for your show quality trailered runabout, but for those of use that use the boat a lot and beach it regularily it may just be an economical solution to mending those pesky damaged areas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_Goo

Shoe Goo or Shoe GOO is a polyurethane-based adhesive intended for repairs of athletic footwear and rollerskates. It contains toluene and solvent naptha.[1] It is produced by Eclectic Products, Incorporated of Eugene, Oregon, USA.

It provides a pliable adhesive to repair separated shoe components and can be used as a filler on worn shoe soles and as a sealer to repair waterproof fabrics and footwear. Skateboarders use Shoe Goo on their skate shoes to both protect and repair damage done by the sandpaper-like "grip tape" of the skateboard. This provides additional life to skate shoes, from the soles to the uppers to the laces. Cricketers use Shoe Goo for minor repairs to the bat and for waterproofing the toe of the bat. Hobbyists use it as an assembly adhesive for radio controlled model cars and aircraft and as a waterproofing agent for model boats.

I don't think it was to fix holes but more a protective layer. it takes the abuse instead of the gelcoat. When it is worn through slap some more on. Can keep it in the wear area. I ran a year with tape on a puncture. I am not throwing stones.

Robert no one was belittling you. As you know, some people do things one way and another does them a different way. Just because someone doesn't like the way another does something doesn't mean it's a personal attack.

Mark, Keep posting.

10 or 12 years ago.. no, wait... I've been married 10 years so it was probably more like 15 or 16 years ago... Anyway, my dad and I patched a split in one of the ribs of his aluminum 14' jon boat. We used, not Shoe Goo but another brand that had the same purpose. I can't think of the brand right now, but that's not important.

Anyway, that boat has been beached on mud, sand, rocks, driven over stumps, drug across the ground, well you get the idea. My son and I went fishing in it a couple of months ago. This was the first time the boat had been in the water in about 4 years and it had been upside down in the weather for those 4 years. The only place it leaked was around the loose rivets at the rear seat box. The 15 year old shoe repair patch was still holding fine after all these years.

It was a split about 2" long right in the bottom of one of the ribs and got a lot of abuse. When we first did it I told dad it wouldn't work, but boy was I ever wrong! I won't even start on the bubble gum patch up on the nose... lol

maybe i'll give it a try. i'll mask off 1/2" on each side of the keel and run a 1' strip. i don't think it would look too bad. sure as heck beats the alternative of splitting the boat and adding more mat down in those sponsons. ron

I may try it myself, actually! I don't recall Robert telling if you smooth it out with a body filler paddle, or maybe you could take some saran wrap and put over it to form it after applied. I do recall him saying (and showing pics) that it is paintable after hardening/drying, but reported the paint was missing at the end of the season, I believe.