This October SeaKayaking Mag had an article under "Off the Water" where D.E. Hyndman submitted a tip on using 3M marine-grade nonslip for a semipermanent keel strip. It looked pretty good. I have searched high and low on the web and I can not find any product that matches the description and the look of the tape as seen in the article photo. Anyone know what product it exactly is?

3M has a ton of various tape and film products. I'm still trying to find the transparent film that is used in the auto industry to apply on the deck under the front and paddle bungees to keep the scratches down. Just another one of those To Do List projects.

Another keel strip idea was researched a bit by a friend of mine, he found a paint on truck bed lining product that seemed like it would work extremely well on composite hulls. I'll ask him what it was. I have some older kayaks in the instructional fleet that could be guinea pigs for it.

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
http://www.the-river-connection.com

I use 3m "leading edge tape" used on propeller blades. I bought it from an aviation supplier. Clear or black in a few sizes and very good if you apply it on a very clean boat.

Hey Timax, I put leading edge tape on the keel of my boat and the problem I had when doing beach launches was the hull wouldn't slide ,it was like someone had pulled the handbrake on.Some mates and I did a long paddle a couple of weeks ago with very steep beachs and some heavy shore dumps to get through and I couldn't get it to slide.I ended up ripping it off as me mates got sick of having to give me a push all the time,it was the 6" width but it was all i could get .Felt like the boat paddled faster with it off,could have been psycologicol though,

I recently used pipe tape as masking for a sanding project on my kayak. The kayak manufacturer uses this tape when he installs the exterior fiberglass tape on the hull joint. This is PVC Pipe Wraping Tape that's fairly thick for tape and was told I would have to work hard a sanding through the tape. It's available in 1" or 2" widths. I found this tape availale in the yard sprinkler section at Home Depot.

I bought a 3M 'tape' from Steveston Marine Services by Granville Island - it non slip tape I think intended for boat stairs/decks - 19' of it cost about $50 - went on easy and hasn't affected boat performance for me - but I am not out racing. It is about 3-4" wide.

This is a great idea for the longevity of your boat. It will prevent that wear on the gel coat when you have to pull it up out of the water when you land on a beach... those accidental scrapes on a rock when your in super close...

Sure it may slow you down a bit... but who cares.

I hadn't thought of the tape slowing down a launch. I can see how it would though. The best idea really is to epoxy on a kevlar strip with graphite powder in the resin. Thats what I may eventually do.

I was at Home Depot - couldn't find the PVC Pipe Tape - perhaps it's the wrong time of the year??? I'm interested in comparing it with the 2-3 layers of a high quality duct tape, I've been using on my keel line for years. It seems effective enough to protect the keel and definitely cost effective. When it wears/tears, I just replace it, sometimes only the outer layer but I'd like to find a longer lasting tape, if I can.
I'll keep looking, but welcome any other prospects, too!

OOOPS! Sorry, I forgot to ask, has anyone used Gaffers Tape? I've got to see what it looks like and if the application is viable but came across it in searching Plummers Tapes.

check out www.keeleazy.com for info on Keeleazy protective strip and get a free sample

I have used Clearbra film on my race cars over the years. I am trying to obtain information about it wearability for possible deck and hull applications. The material may be too thin for hull protection 8-11 mil, however it should be excellent on protecting the deck. My winter boat project my involve applying over the entire deck. Cost for bulk film is $8-$12 per foot depending on the width.

i put this on my MV. landing on Lake Superior rocks can take its tole, and since applying KeelEZ I have had no new scratches. Goes on in about 2 hours. Works great. Haven't noticed any speed difference.

Highly recommend!