Keel Guard

spring fever

spring fever

Well-Known Member
bought 9' of keel guard at a good price down the states and was wonderin if anyone had any advice about putting it on other than the package directions? Obviously you only get to do this once and I want to get it right!!!
 
I also bought a 6' keel guard on line, i'm waiting for the weather to warm up before applying it.
the biggest factor as i understand it is the surface prep.
surface must be absolutely clean in order to get a good bond.
 
When I installed mine, I prep'd the areas as per the instructions then taped the keel guard in place to make sure I had it straight. I then, slowly, removed the adhesive 'cover' and applied while removing the tape I had used to make sure it was lined up - start at one end and work to the other. I also marked the outside egde of the keel guard on the hull with a pencil to aid in alignment. Don't let it touch the surface unless you are SURE it is straight as it will NOT come off. Make sure you get all the air out and good suggestion to wait until it warms up a bit more.

Love mine.
 
Get it good and clean. Time to go sniff some acetone. Be sure its clean. Maybe even a light sanding of the area.

You don't ever want that guard comming off and ending up wraped up in your prop.
 
When I put one on my old boat it was really easy. Clean it, little sanding, clean again, mark it out with a pencil stick it on slowly. We spent a lot of time making sure it was pressed on very well. We also hit it with a heat gun to make it flex around the keel better. Make sure that the glass on your boat is pretty warm this will help it stick really well. 45 mins and my was done start to finish!! and they work great!!!
 
You can always do what I did. Bought it,brought it home,gave it to my wife and she did most of the work. About all I did was help her with actual installation of the guard. 3 or 4 hands is better than two for the actual installation.
Definitely read the instructions and follow them to the letter.
Dave
 
Put mine on today, went very well and looks great.
Like painting it's all about the prep work.
the gelcoat was worn right off the front portion of the keel
so new guard will protect that area against further damage.

I am impressed and would surely use it on another boat. :)
 
vetteman said:
You can always do what I did. Bought it,brought it home,gave it to my wife and she did most of the work. About all I did was help her with actual installation of the guard. 3 or 4 hands is better than two for the actual installation.
Definitely read the instructions and follow them to the letter.
Dave
Click to expand...

No catch and release there - she is a keeper. Can I get your wife to call mine and give her some advice on how to make a man happy.

Good to hear the guard works.
 
Searun,

Too bad the local marine dealers can't get their prices in line with the U.S. You'd think by now everyone up here would have figured that out, so we wouldn't have to go south to get the right deal. When will they learn????
 
Before i bought mine for $112.00 U.S. plus tax & shipping, I called Sherwood
and the same product was $199.99.
Even after tax & shipping it was almost 35% cheaper out of the states.
 
r.s craven said:
Before i bought mine for $112.00 U.S. plus tax & shipping, I called Sherwood
and the same product was $199.99.
Even after tax & shipping it was almost 35% cheaper out of the states.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I paid about $180.00 for mine but I wanted mine now and Harbour Chandler had it in stock. The only store in Nanaimo that actually had one. It really paid off big time recently when my wife and I spent 9 days at Toquart Bay and between the helicopter logging and the big slide up Pipestem the water was littered with crap. We hit a lot of stuff. Everything just bounced off the Keel Guard. No damage to the boat
Dave
 
Well 8ft of keel guard went on yesterday. I had a lot of nicks and chunks out of the gelcoat along the keel so the sanding and prep work took some time. I followed directions to the letter and when it came time to put it on I felt like a 40 year old virgin bride on her wedding night!! How about that for a word picture!! Anyhow Striper Sniper and another friend put it on very quickly-little bit of heat(little bit!!) to make it mold around the lift strakes and it was done!! Looks great and it saved on a costly gel coat job on the keel. Seems very well bonded!!
 
Yea at first I was not sure about almond, was originally thinking white, definitely didn't want sand. Did I little digging around on Keel Gaurds site and I think the colour is lighter than what is shown on Amazon. I found a blog where a guy installed it on a Boston Whaler and mentioned that almond was "a perfect match". Pretty sure BW hulls are almost the same colour, maybe slightly lighter than my DE 176, so fingers crossed... Anyway for $60 figured I'd take the risk otherwise it's $200.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Thinking about a custom belly fuel tank
Replies
25
Views
2K
chille51
C
K
Raw water flow, Mercruiser 470
Replies
11
Views
991
Kolbads
K
-Jim-
"New" Boat Trailer is a bit big?
Replies
13
Views
1K
noluck
noluck
S
Help first time buying used boat.
Replies
9
Views
1K
Shineyshiney
S
M
Wiring Overhaul
Replies
5
Views
713
wolf
wolf
Back
Top