C-Forum

pdown2 wrote:Hey Walsh and sbroam, I got some questions for you or anyone that has done the ABS trick. Ok so its my understanding that to apply the solution to the hull I need to sand off the vinyl to expose the "green" hull, but not the foam core....correct? Then apply really thin coats to the area, and repeat until I get a nice solid patch. How long do I wait between coats or is it just a wait until the paste dries?

BTW, the Gorilla Glue trick kind of worked...but its still doesn't have that solid feel back.

Hi !

Yes sand or grind the vinyl, leave the ABS. I've grind down to the foam core in weak places and it still works. Your mixture is ABS & Acetone, you want the acetone to attack the ABS of your boat so they bond together. The acetone being exposed to air when you apply it will evaporate quickly, doing minor damage to the existing surface, bonding to it and beefing up the weak spot.

Mix consistency is variable, depending on the repair you want. I had a huge hole in the front of my Probe 12II, mixed a real thick past and applied that 1st. Took more time to cure though(5 days or so). Then applied thiner mix to level of the surface. Thiner mix is self leveling, place it once and leave. If you fool around with it you'll mess up the nice self levelling smooth surface. Thinner mix takes 1 day to cure.

Paint...I wouldn't go there(my 9 boats are in my garage away from UV rays) but if you insists, enamel base will do the trick.

Good luck !

PS Larry, I understand and agree with you in buying more boats(I got 9 and counting) but not everyone has the $$$ to do so
What we need most is paddlers on the rivers for river protection and access ! Repair those boats !

PS Larry, I understand and agree with you in buying more boats(I got 9 and counting) but not everyone has the $$$ to do so
What we need most is paddlers on the rivers for river protection and access ! Repair those boats !

i agree with that.

... can't get over the paint thing though... do they repaint after every run? almost seems like pollution...maybe there ain't no rocks in the whitewater over there...

Larry Horne wrote:

PS Larry, I understand and agree with you in buying more boats(I got 9 and counting) but not everyone has the $$$ to do so
What we need most is paddlers on the rivers for river protection and access ! Repair those boats !

i agree with that.

... can't get over the paint thing though... do they repaint after every run? almost seems like pollution...maybe there ain't no rocks in the whitewater over there...

We certainly have rocks "over here" and I certainly did consider the pollution, but saw that i was scraping off no more "new paint" than I had ever scraped off original vinyl.

The one boat of mine that got painted twice, each paint job lasted 2 years or more - one of those paint jobs was only from the water line down. I kept that boat about 7 years - it wouldn't have lasted half that without the repairs, hard to say how much the paint helped. The other boats have just been touched up over repairs or wear areas.

The way I see it, I've been keeping old boats out of the land fill for a while longer.

The one boat of mine that got painted twice, each paint job lasted 2 years or more - one of those paint jobs was only from the water line down. I kept that boat about 7 years - it wouldn't have lasted half that without the repairs, hard to say how much the paint helped. The other boats have just been touched up over repairs or wear areas.

sheesh, i can't get a boat or a paddle to last 2 years if i use 'em... so you must be doing something right!

Speaking of worn-out royalex...Can you recycle it?

Yeah, trying to make my boat last two seasons is the goal. I have the option of doing a C1 conversion (got buddies on the 'darkside' with lots of old kayaks, who have already offered up the boats) but there just isn't anything like an open boat......

Thanks to all for your replies, hopefully I'll get to finish up the repairs by this weekend and get back on the water.

Thanks again!!

you get the ABS magic paste and how does one us it???

Is there an archived post I need to read???

JB Weld evidently doesn't hold up to extreme cold water. We were boating and it was in the low 40's, but the water I'm sure was colder than that.

Most of the welded areas were fine, but one area right under my knee literally looks like it chipped off. I've JB'd it again, but if it happens again, think I'll try the magic paste.

Thanks!

the post.

One more question though......does it matter if you use the black or can you use white pipe? I think it would look better on a yellow boat.

Helly, good idea with the white pipe, why not ABS is ABS, right? Krylon Fusion plastic spray paint comes in a few shades of yellow if you don't like that splotchy patch look.

Walsh, Krylon Fusion comes in a Blue Hyacinth just a shade lighter than the deep purple of an Outrage. I only had vinyl wear with the white just starting to show through and wanted to add a layer to protect the ABS not just from UV, but from rock wear. I like the color so much I had to stop myself from painting the whole boat, it's got a custom look now.

Dixieboater, thanks for the tip about the Krylon Fusion paint, found in another thread. The can instructions say to prep a new surface with paint thinner and an aged surface with an ammonia based cleaner. I went with an ammonia/water scrub-down and a couple thin coats. Will give it about a week to cure, before I go rock painting.

I finished the paste and it works better than anything I've tried before. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a lenght of ABS pipe with a pint of Acetone. Cut the pipe into small sections and put the chunks in a mason jar with a top, then cover the chunks with Acetone. Let everything set for about 2 days, stirring on occasion (you can add pipe or Acetone to thin it or thicken it). Now move to your boat, with paper or an orbiting sander (BE CAREFUL) sand the gelcoat down to the green material underneath (I have to guess other boats might have other colors under the paint) and DO NOT sand to the foam core. Once the green part of the hull is exposed use a plastic puddy scrapper to spread the paste thinly across the hull over the sanded area. Let it cure for a day or two, and repeat if you want it thicker.

One warning, it is hard to stop putting the paste on the boat once you start. I started in one spot and managed to pretty much cover the bottom center of the hull......all those other "spots".

Good luck it worked great on my beater, I mean boat.........I still wish I had a new boat though.....

One more question though......does it matter if you use the black or can you use white pipe? I think it would look better on a yellow boat.

Be careful! All of the white plastic from Lowes or Home Depot is PVC and all of the black plastic is ABS. They're not the same thing. You want to use ABS, not PVC.

Jim

that is what I was wanting to know..

That paint seems to stay on the hull longer than others I've tried. Prepping the hull before painting is a good idea. The paint adheres better and lasts longer. I've used Krylon Fusion on my ABS plate repairs for several years now. Paint intended for use on plastic works better than other paints that work on multiple surfaces (i.e. steel, wood, plastic, etc.)

Besides covering up your ABS paste, paint protects the hull from UV rays. Once the vinyl wears off Royalex has no other protection from the sun. It's best to cover exposed ABS with paint or ABS paste.

YOu can get ABS in grey - harder to find, but it is out there.... The first time I did it I bought PVC... doesnt work too well!! in fact it doesnt work AT ALL...

Brief word of caution - beware of buying CPVC. It's a gray or dark gray PVC pipe that is used interchangeably with ABS in some applications. It won't work.

dixie_boater do you use something other than an ammonia based product to prep before paint? thanks