I have a fiberglass kayak (Macski Kingfisher) that’s taking in water where the rudder is attached to the hull. The rudder material looks to be plastic. I don’t think there’s a crack or anything, the two materials just aren’t sealed together. What’s the best way to fix this?
Please help me out, it’s prime kayaking time!
I would go with a silicone caulk. Get it clean dry. Perhaps scuff sand the surfaces.
I did pick up some stuff called Through the Roof at Ace Hardware last summer and did some patching with it. It is clear, sticks to about anything, stays flexible.
Given that the rudder is a through hull fitting one would be looking at the integrity of the seals. If the actual structure holding the fittings has fractured you would want to fix that with fibreglass and appropriate resin. But since the rudder is a moveable device and has a rudder post that penetrates the hull, the seals of the rudder post bearings would be my first bet.
Silicone is OK to seal the interface between two things that are mated together and need s seal, but not OK to try to fix a crack or any form of damage.
Thanks for the suggestion guys.
I found a 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant that did the trick after a liberal application. It was the first time I was using this type of product so it doesn’t look pretty but the kayak didn’t take on water after 6 hours of use.