Kayak Question

[Displaced_Vol]

Here's a question I haven't found much online about- anybody ever tried or had a kayak hydro dipped?
I bought a used kayak a couple years ago, it's a vibe with their "orange/camo" paint job-
I bought it for fishing and access while duck hunting. Meaning, I never planned to hunt out of the kayak, just use it to access a site then hide/stash the kayak while hunting. End of this duck season found us hunting backwater that was far too deep to get out of the boat. I tried covering the brighter parts of the kayak with some old blind material, it worked OK.

Got to thinking it would really be better to have it drab or camo. I have heard the kayak material is very tough to paint, so I wondered if anyone had ever tried to have one dipped the way gun stocks are being done?

 

[MickThompson]

Roto molded plastic is notoriously slick. I'd either trade/sell and get a tan boat or be happy with burlap. Hydrographics have to stick too and who has a 14' tank for it, never mind what it would cost to do it when you consider what a gun costs to dip and how much less surface area a gun has.

 

[Displaced_Vol]

Good points and sort of what I figured.

Need to use this to get a newer, bigger, better kayak, right??

 

[tree_ghost]

Flyway camo netting is cheap and packs easily...I use it to cover my kayak when storing it during hunting hours


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[Cottontop]

Maybe have it wrapped like a bass boat.

 

[Dbllunger]

Is it possible to use a fine grit sandpaper (100 or 200 grit) on the hull to create some roughness for the paint to stick to?

 

[Grnwing]

YES- use the sand paper, start with something pretty course to rough up the deck and then go down to a finer grit. I have done this on the polyethylene (plastic) kayaks numerous times. It will work but will require some touch-ups along the way. Do not bother sanding the hull, yea it looks ugly but are you trying to kill ducks or win a beauty pageant. Depending on where you are hunting, you can also add some small diameter bungee rope to fasten natural cover to the deck and that can help break up the profile. I worked in the canoe and kayak industry and had access to a lot of demo/blem boats and could try a lot of different things. Good luck

 

[casjoker]

I just used camo spray paint. I found the Parker boat paint the best but the stuff at Walmart was acceptable. You will need to touch up occasionally. This was on a Nucanoe that was bright green and black originally. I did a tiger stripe pattern of tan, OD green, black and dark brown. It worked great all the way from the salt water marshes in Maine to the flooded timber in Arkansas.

 

[Displaced_Vol]

I may try something this fall with it since some of you have given me some ideas. I'll keep you posted.