Boat Keel Shields

[luckyinkentucky]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good product that I could use for a keel protector?


I don't want to buy one of the conventional keel guards for $100+, because I'm a bit frugal and don't see paying retail for something so simple.

I have a fiberglass v-hull Fish n' Ski and I frequently beach my boat on sandy and pebble filled beaches along rivers and lakes.

I'm a "Professional" Do-It-Yourselfer and I've considered everything from rubberized car undercarriage coating, Plasti-Dip, and a few other products.

Any suggestions?

 

[lowkee]

Re: Boat Keel Shields

Rubberized undercoating sounds good, but it will likely cause some serious drag, as well. I have been keeping an eye out for the same reason; Paying $100+ for a strip of rubber is just silly. Take a look at garage door thresholds, I have seen plenty which are close, but they all seem to have a lip on one side (cut the lip off maybe?).

What may work well is to paint on some bed-liner on some double stick tape, then tape it onto the keel. Then it will protect and still be removable.

Definitely post if you find an alternative, since I am pretty much dead set against buying that overprice stick-on (Keel Guard).

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Boat Keel Shields

Well I have 6 gallons of Plasti-Dip that I use on tool handles, broom handle, and anything I want to put a permanent rubber coating on. I'm wondering if it will handle the force of the water rubbing on the boat?


Here is a link to the product I have for various household uses.

http://www.plastidip.com/

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Boat Keel Shields *UPDATE*

Re: Boat Keel Shields *UPDATE*

I talked to an engineer at Plasti-Dip and he said, "Go for it!"

He told me that Plasti-Dip has been used in many applications in the Marine Industry including, but not limited to, keel applications.

He did suggest that I tape off and slightly rough up the area that I want to apply it. He then said to apply it with a wide brush with 2 or 3 light coats being sure to let each coat dry for a minimum of 30 minutes in between.


I'm going to give it a try.

Any suggestions before I get started?

 

[SeaVue]

Re: Boat Keel Shields

Good luck. And please if you can tell us how it turns out. It would be great if you could take a few pictures and post them here. :

 

[David Greer]

Re: Boat Keel Shields

Can't hurt to try it; if it doesn't stick what have you lost?
Seems to me that if you just do the front of the keel where you bump, and not all the way back, drag won't be much of a problem when you are on a plane. Maybe you can figure out a way to smooth the top coat, or hit it with a shellac.
I beach on sand so my problem is wearing off my bottom paint. I can't worry about a shell scratch or two. But if I was in a rocky enviroment it would be different. I am eternally grateful for soft bottoms!

 

[Jello Shot]

Re: Boat Keel Shields

I wonder if Line X would work. It sure takes a beating in my truck bed and does not even look worn.

 

[robroy]

Re: Boat Keel Shields

I would think the Line-X idea would be great, just not sure on how much cheaper it would be than one of the commercial keel gaurd products.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Boat Keel Shields

I think Line-X would be better, but it's all gonna wear down in sand. I used West Systems resin on my last boat to kinda seal the keel where the gelcoat had been rubbed away from beaching. It's so hard when it dries that it never wore off, I used the small kit which was like $10 or so.