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Hey guys, any tips or tricks on fixing a small hole, right above the water line on a yak?? Hopefully I'm not the first to make an accessory placement mistake! Thanks in advance -

Most kayaks are made from molded polyethylene or as we know it -- plastic. I have repaired several boats. The easiest way to repair small screw holes is to use a heat gun or soldering iron. Carefully heat the plastic surrounding the area without melting it to liquid form, and then push the plastic together around the hole. For larger patches, you need extra material. If you're not comfortable doing this, then try some type of adhesive patch such as ducktape. I know of no caulking material that will permanently adhere to polyethylene. I've tried epoxies, marine caulk like 5200, silicones. None of these will hold up.

There are 2 holes, side by side, that are about the size of a 10-24 well nut or slightly larger. I was rigging up my anchor trolley, but the well nuts kept popping out when put under pressure, so I relocated the block and now I'm left with 2 holes....? Thanks again for all you input Tall -

Melting them in is the best thing to do....
But putting a panhead stainless bolt and nut in each of them and sealing it with silicone or 5200 would be easy and quick.
No melting needed

West Marine sells a kayak repair kit for plastic boats. Here's a link -

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... _sku=18441

I would use this if you can't get enough plastic heated up around the holes to cover them.

Good Luck - Steve

Justr heat it and the plastic you are gonna use over it. Use a heat gun, if you use a torch your gonna burn your kayak up.

Next time you need to put fastners through the yak back up the holes with 1/8" aluminum or stainless plate and use compatible machine screws.

I can fix it.

Jumptrout51 wrote:I can fix it

with shoe-goo.