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Conference vicki::boats

Title:	Powerboats
Notice:	Introductions 2 /Classifieds 3 / '97 Ski Season 1267
Moderator:	KWLITY::SUTER

Created:	Thu May 12 1988
Last Modified:	Wed Jun 04 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1275
Total number of notes:	18109

1060.0. "Fix Plastic Hull on Paddle Boat?" by KAHALA::SUTER (Never too Hot!) Tue Jun 01 1993 11:59

    
    	The SS Pelican was swamped and almost sunk this weekend, much
    to the dismay of the two occupants that weren't wearing wetsuits.
    
    	Not really a big deal since the small paddle boat (it could have
    a motor, right? :-) ) could easily be lifted, emptied and returned to shore
    along with it's "damp" occupants.
    
    	Here's the problem. The SS has developed some cracks that are in
    need of repair in order to keep the water on the outside of the hull.
    (I knew that boat shouldn't be towed at 40 MPH :-~ ). The hull is
    some sort of plastic. Any ideas on what the stuff actually is, and
    some "*environmentally sound*" way of fixing it? :-)n....
    
    Thanks,
    
    Rick

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1060.1	Ask the mfg'er	GOLF::WILSON	Think Spring!	`Tue Jun 01 1993 12:21`	14
	Rick, Not knowing the type of plastic, I would suggest contacting the mfg'er to see what they recommend. Patch materials used for glass hulls may not stick at all to certain plastics. We got a scare of our own this past weekend. During the maiden cruise of my father's new (to him) Thompson, a 6" long by 1/2" wide jagged crack opened up below the waterline in the area of a previous repair. A good bilge pump and a full throttle run back to the dock is the only thing that kept us from a swim in 52 degree water. Rick
1060.2	Any news?	GOLF::WILSON	Support Global Warming	`Wed Jun 02 1993 13:43`	9
	Rick, Any luck with contacting the mfg'er to find out the correct repair procedure for the Pelican? If not, through my "sources", I should be able to get you the address and phone number. Is Pelican the name of the mfg'er, or is that the model? Rick
1060.3	Many plastics can be welded	REGENT::BENDEL		`Wed Jun 02 1993 15:56`	14
	Most plastics can be welded, but there's not a lot of people around that do it. I used to know the name of a guy around Amherst MA, Jim somethingorother that did the welding. I believe that only the flexible plastics can be welded, and certain cross-linked polyethylenes are difficult at best to do correctly. If it's a rigid plastic I'm not sure, but would think it could maybe ne fiberglassed. Where to get names of plastic welders: Search or ask in the RIVERRAT notesfile, whitewater boaters have a need to know these welders on occasion :-). If nobody in there responds (or if the file no longer exists) then call a couple outdoor centers or whitewater supply places. Steve
1060.4	The continuing saga of the SS Pelican	KAHALA::SUTER	Never too Hot!	`Fri Oct 14 1994 12:24`	33
	Well, I did finally patch the SS Pelican paddle boat's plastic hull using poly fiberglass. It worked quite well. Too well as a matter of fact. Cuz now that the SS wouldn't allow water into it's pontoons, in a heavy rainstorm the footwells filled with water while tied to the dock and the pressure on the underside of one plastic pontoon was too much for Peli to take. The starboard pontoon now has a 4 foot crack in the bottom of it.... "No big deal" he says, "I'll just patch it". Unfortunately, I figure the best way to patch the plastic pontoon is from the inside with liberal amounts of fiberglass along with some matting. I've managed to remove everying attaching the top section of Peli to the bottom pontoon section, except for the pedal/paddle wheel mechanism. The pedals on either side of Peli are free (attached to nothing) towards the outside gunwhale. On the side toward the paddle wheel housing there are two sets of collars which use set screws, one set on each side of the paddle wheel. I've removed the set screws on all 4 collars. After much pulling, pushing, banging and swearing I tried using a tie rod breaker fork between the paddle wheel axle and the pedal axle. It appears the pedal axle slides into the paddle wheel axle from both sides. But still the foolish thing wouldn't come apart. It looks like it may be welded, is this possible? Does anyone know for sure? Thanks, Rick ps Anyone want to buy a slightly used paddle boat real cheap?