K1 to OC1 Conversions?

[Smurfwarrior]

I have six of those blue barrels I got for free, and an old monstar that I don't use anymore (moved to a superstar c1) and I've been scheming up a way to make that into an OC1... welding it is out due to the type of junk plastic the boat is made of, but screwing and gluing (gflex) might just work.

I like your Jefe mockup.

[SkeeterGuy86]

I have six of those blue barrels I got for free, and an old monstar that I don't use anymore (moved to a superstar c1) and I've been scheming up a way to make that into an OC1... welding it is out due to the type of junk plastic the boat is made of, but screwing and gluing (gflex) might just work.

I like your Jefe mockup.

my next boat (if i decide to cut up another yak) will use Gflex

[caverdan]

my next boat (if i decide to cut up another yak) will use Gflex

I am curious about your comment. Did the plastic welding suck that bad, or do you think the g-flex would just produce superior results?

Did you use a "speed welding" tip when you did yours, or do it by hand? I'm thinking of the kind that feeds material into the heat as you drag it along the parts to be joined.

Here's the kind I'm thinking of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ0vMwInnWE

[SkeeterGuy86]

my next boat (if i decide to cut up another yak) will use Gflex

I am curious about your comment. Did the plastic welding suck that bad, or do you think the g-flex would just produce superior results?

Did you use a "speed welding" tip when you did yours, or do it by hand? I'm thinking of the kind that feeds material into the heat as you drag it along the parts to be joined.

Here's the kind I'm thinking of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ0vMwInnWE

na the welds are holding up ... i had a few break from when i first tried to roll it ( a design flaw in my thinking :O) ...) that is why you see the piece of pvc pipe around the top ...it stiffened up the sides so i could roll the boat ...

as far as welding .. i ended up welding it with a small butane torch and filler rod ... i just moved very fast ...

gflex just looks like it would be quicker ... it took me almost 2 months of welding cuz i didnt weld everyday ...

[Smurfwarrior]

I weld with the hot iron tool and back the weld with a gflex/Kevlar patch as insurance. I chopped a L'Edge in half and removed 2' then welded it back together. Took about 5 hours of welding. I use the gflex patch method on broken Jackson boats and it works well but for a bug project I would think that some form of mechanical attached (bolted or screwed together) would be key to helping the GFlex bond remain intact when abused. Search for SL'Edge for more info on that welding job.

[Barskekarsten]

I think the quality and speed of plastic welding has a lot to do with equipment not only the skills involved

I did some small cracks on my Jefe and used a thermostat controlled hot air gun. I was terrible to work with since the temperature was changing between too hot and too cold every 3 seconds. I think you should go with a PID controlled one to get the best welds. I am shure it is possible to do the welding you are talking about quite fast and easy with the right equipment. (and youtube for instructions).

Here in Norway we have the Polarcirkel boats which are made totally out of welded PE parts: http://www.akvagroup.com/boats/index.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; They are considered the best when it comes to toughness. They are mainly used for on sea farms and in the arctic. Most sea farms are also built out of welded PE parts and they don’t break that often. Both are load carrying structures and they still use welded PE parts.