In an ideal world we would like to think we take such good care of our kayaks that they would never get scraped along the sand or have close encounters with submerged rocks or even dragged up the beach (ouch!), but let’s face it – most of us will subject our kayak’s hull to abrasion, scrapes and chips at some time.
Keel Eazy is a cost effective and simple solution to protecting your kayak’s hull. It is a strip of PVC adhesive tape that is moulded to the curve of your keel with the use of a heat gun (on low setting) – this both helps it adhere and also stretch around curved surfaces. You really need to use a heat gun – a hair dryer is just not hot enough. It can be used not just on fibreglass kayaks, but also thermoplastic and composite kayaks.
It comes in different widths: 5cm, 7.5cm and 10cm and colours: red, yellow, orange, blue and green as well as black and white. The 5cm strip is suitable for most kayaks, while for flatter-hulled kayaks such as fishing kayaks, sit-on-tops and recreational kayaks and canoes you may want to use a wider strip.
You would usually apply Keel Eazy to the whole of the centre line of the hull, where the kayak is most likely to be abraded, or concentrate on specific wear-zones.
See below for photos of an installation on an Epic 18X sea kayak.
Using a heat gun to set Keeleazy
Rudder opening for the Epic 18x
Trimming for the skeg/rudder opening
The finished product
Available from The Kayak Shop Australia by the metre in black and white 5cm width. Other widths and colours available on request – contact us to discuss your requirements.
We have been using this product for a couple of years now and it is well known among the paddling community….
It is very easy to install or we can also install it for you, at a further cost. Contact us for all your kayak outfitting needs.