How to Repair a Leaking SOT Kayak

Repairing a leaking sit-on-top kayak is not difficult. Repairing the SOT does require a variety of tools, but the actual process does not necessitate any degree of prior polyethylene manufacturing knowledge. Fortunately, polyethylene can be plastic-welded, so a crack does not mean the end of the kayak. In fact--unlike dealing with fiberglass kayaks--once you have repaired the crack in the polyethylene kayak, the patch will most likely never have to be replaced.

Things You'll Need

  • 6-by-6-by-1/8-inch piece of polyethylene plastic
  • Drywall knife
  • Heat gun
  • Tape measure
  • Marker
  • Gasoline
  • Cotton cloth
  • Drill
  • 1/16 inch bit
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Instructions

  1. Locating, Prepairing and Drilling the SOT's Crack

    • 1

      Locate the crack in the hull. Sometimes this can be difficult, but there are a few tricks to figuring out where it is. To begin with, most cracks develop in the hull. Sometimes the crack is large and apparent. If the crack is not in plain sight, use the heels of your hands to push on the hull of the boat. Cracks ordinarily happen where there is a soft--or weak--area in the hull. If you cannot find the crack using either of these two methods, put the kayak in water, allow water to leak into the sit-on-top, remove the boat from the water and elevate it. Chairs work well. Rest the bow on one chair and the stern on another. Lay beneath the kayak and look for the water leaking from the crack.

    • 2

      Clean the crack and the area four inches around it with a gasoline-soaked cloth. Identify both ends of the crack. Place dots 1/32-inch in front of both ends of the crack with the marker.

    • 3

      Drive holes through the dots at the ends of the crack in the hull with the drill using the 1/16-inch bit to prevent the crack from lengthening after you have repaired the leak.

    • 4

      Drive the drill through the boat, parallel to the crack, three times per inch, 1/8-inch distance from the crack, on both sides of the crack, for the length of the SOT's crack.

    • 5

      Cut the piece of polyethylene plastic into sections, each the width of a dime. Cut each section into parts that leave you with pieces no larger than the diameter of a dime, even if they are square.

    Plastic Welding the Crack

    • 6

      Measure the length of the sit-on-top's crack. Place a piece of polyethylene plastic on the crack, one per inch of crack.

    • 7

      Turn on the heat gun and hold it three inches above the pieces of polyethylene plastic covering the crack. Sweep the heat gun over the pieces of polyethylene slowly, but do not stop in one area. If you heat the pieces of polyethylene too quickly, they will blister and bubble. Move the heat gun over the pieces of polyethylene continually until they liquefy.

    • 8

      Smear the liquefied polyethylene over the crack and the holes running parallel to the crack, but not further than 1/4-inch outside the holes. Keep your patch confined to 3/8-inch from the crack on all sides for cosmetic purposes.

    • 9

      Allow the patch to dry. Once the repair job cools, you are ready to use the sit-on-top in water.