Folding Kayaks Forum

I'm thinking of adding Folbot Hypalon self-adhesive strip to FC K1, outside at the keelsen on the top of the existing welded strip. The best match for K1, considering its dimensions, is probably the strip kit of Cooper.

Reasons: preventive measure, plus, probably, obsession. Permanently welded hull strips on K1 do get some wear, I have to check them annually and cover scratches with Aquaseal. Nothing serious, though it's hard to tell sometimes. Unlike Hypalon, post-1999 FC hull fabric is not a "sandwich" - there is no white midlayer with black rubber on both sides. FC urethane polymer saturates the fabric through, so it's all black in the crack . It's hard to tell whether the crack goes half-way through the strip, or through the strip and into the skin.

Side note on the FC anatomy: there is another protective strip on the inside along the keelsen, but the hull is made of 2 long pieces joined at the keelsen. When I look at it, it seems like there is 1-2 mm gap between those hull pieces, covered with strips welded on the inside and outside.

So I'm thinking of adding a self-adhesive strip over the existing hull strip outside, at the keelsen only, and replace it every 2 years or whenever needed. This will make the strip twice thicker, but will add more protection (and it will be renewable). I'm using K1 heavily loaded, and I'm sailing it, can't always control the speed over shoals or on landing.

Search at the Folbot forum fetched the only suggestion on how to do it - fixing the leading ends in bow and stern with Aquaseal so that they wouldn't peel off. My common sense tells me the strip should be applied on the assembled (tensioned) frame, rather than on the empty skin.

Any ideas or reasons why I should not do this?

Good idea, Alex. I put those on my Kodiak and my G II (my Cooper has a different hull and needed different strips).

The strips are removable, even after a couple years on the hull. The ends do come loose, so the Aquaseal is important.

Right. Your Cooper (and few more made in 2004 with TPU skin) require different strips than Hypalon boats, with a different self-adhesive. Hm.. Now I wonder which one is "closer related" to FC urethane skin. Either one should stick, but not same well.

My only worry is that the double strip (native plus one removable) will be too thick on the hull. But then, in sailing catamaran configuration and with loads of cargo it's not a performance boat already. More like nomadic travel, changing places...

Alex, I think either should work. The strips I have are not self-adhesive. You have to paint an adhesive onto the area of the hull where the strips will go, and then use a heat gun while you work the strip into position (the heat activates the adhesive). I think a re-application of heat will allow the strip to come off, also.

Not sure they still sell those older strips. The original Cooper hull was made of Thermoplastic Poly Urethane, which I believe is similar to current FC hulls, but a different formulation, as the Folbot TPU is not as abrasion resistant. The latter might be an advantage in your situation -- when it goes, you definitely know it is time for replacement.