I just bought an older (1968) Aerius I with a rubberized hull. It's peeling off in sections under the keelboards. In "Complete Folding Kayaker", in the maintenance chapter, there is a suggestion that it is possible to use EPDM roofing fabric to cover the bottom. The directions how it used in strips, much like keelstrips.
I was wondering if anyone else has done/tried these methods? I'll eventually get a new hull, but I'm trying to fix this one up for temporary use.
I haven't used these methods but am interested in the possibilities. (You'll see here that I'm looking at repairing the rubberized skin on a Tyne folder.) I must dig out my copy of that book and have a look at the chapter you mention. I'd forgotten to consult there.
For a very temporary repair duct tape is excellent. I believe the more expensive brands may leave less gluey residue that you'd have to remove if you are going in for patching at a later point. But if you are planning to replace the hull that may not matter.
Do please let us know what you eventually try and with what success.
There are differant types of Duck tape, the one with that name where i live is useless, after a short amont of time it falls off leaving a "gooy" mess on the hull. A far better tape i have used, which i have also made keel strips from using two or three layers is GORRILA TAPE' it comes in two width, 1.8 inches and 2.8 inches wide, color black, it is now also available in white but only one width 1.8 inches. Unfortunatly i can,t buy the white one localy but i assume it is the same tape just a differant color, in fact the 2.8 inches wide tape had to be a special order which is one of the draw backs if you live in "the sticks" and 400km from a city.
I bought some 60 mil EPDM, primer, adhesive, a roller, and some heavy duty scissors. I also ordered some liquid rubber/EPDM stuff from West Marine. After I did that I called Long Haul to order some rod holders and found out I could get a whole new hull for this Aerius I for $950.
Well, I went ahead and ordered the new hull, but I'm going to try the EPDM thing on the old hull anyway. It will be a learning experience. The 60 mil is pretty heavy duty stuff and I got a 2' X 20' piece so I'm going to make an 8" center strip and then two 2" strips for the chine rod lines. If it works well I might make some interior reinforcements and possibly some chine rod strips for my Aerius II.
Thats good news, you will have an excellent boat with the new Longhaul skin. We will all be interested in how your experiments with the EPDM and the liquid rubber turns out, please keep us informed.
I finished putting on the EPDM fabric. It was not too difficult, but a little messy. Unfortunately the adhesive only comes in one gallon containers and it cost $40. The material wasn't too expensive, but I had to call around to find a place that would cut me a 2' by 20' piece. I prepared the hull by cleaning with acetone and sanding with 60 grit. The EPDM and cement were both black, so now the boat isn't too pretty; two chine rod strips and one ten inch strip on the keel are black. I also bought some edge caulk, but I'm no artist with caulk so it's a little messy around the edges.
I'll probably take the boat out this weekend and see how it works. The real test will be to see if it starts separating with folding and use. It was a worthwhile experiment, but a lot of work to get a few more years out of a hull. If it holds up well I might get some inflatable topside gray and repaint it.
I also put all new rod holders on the ribs. The toughest part of that was getting the old rivets out of the wood.
Well the EPDM seems to work. I took the boat out on the Potomac yesterday and it held up fine. Only time will tell, but I believe it is adhering to the rubber and hopefully will stand repeated foldings. One of the end caps had an air pocket under it though, so I am re-doing that part today.
Interesting. It sounds like it might make a nice wide keel strip down the centre of the skin. Will see if the material and adhesive is available in Canada. Just checked, it looks like it will be easy to get in Canada if i or anyone else wants to try it.
Latest update: I have used the 1968 Aerius I twice with the new EPDM strips, assembled and folded it both times and it seems to be holding up well.
I attempted to do the same repair on my late '80's Aerius II with hypalon hull and the EPDM material did not adhere. It looked good at first, but started to come off after two days. I used the same surface preparation, except that I cleaned the hypalon with toluol instead of acetone. I believe this was the difference, as further research told me that EPDM and toluol are on compatible.
I suggest that anyone else trying this method clean their hull with acetone or something other than toluol.