So, this stuff, Gator Guard patches, seem like a great solution for heavy plastic kayaks that sometimes need to be dragged over rough ground. Gator Guard is a special fiberglass-infused polyester resin “tape” that cures with UV exposure – apply to kayak, leave in the sun for 1 hour and the resin cures. MUCH easier application than any gelcoat or epoxy job that would involve a lot of mixing and brushing sticky goo onto pieces of fiberglass cloth. And Gator Guard is also MUCH stronger than other options like Keel-Eazy tape. Gator Guard forms to the shape of the keel and attaches fairly “permanently”, as I discovered when I worked to remove it from a Romany kayak I bought used.
The previous owner of this kayak put a Gator Guard patch on it to protect the stern – and, as I soon discovered, to cover impact damage. Using Gator Guard over this damaged area worked for him, but it was a fairly inelegant way to repair gel coat. So, I used a HEAT GUN, a PLASTIC SCRAPER and RUBBING ALCOHOL to remove it. It was a lengthy process, took a lot of elbow grease and heat over more than 1 hour – this stuff seemed almost chemically adhered to the boat. The heat gun must have softened the polyester resin enough that the scraper could remove it – but it was a MAJOR EFFORT. So, if you plan to try Gator Guard, just be aware that it’s a near-permanent modification. IMHO, I’d save it for plastic kayaks. It could also be an option on fiberglass boats if you’re not handy with Gelcoat or Epoxy repairs.
After removing the Gator Guard, I used a Dremel and sandpaper to remove the loose/cracked gelcoat. Then applied Marine Tex epoxy to the area, followed by dry- and wet-sanding after it had cured (2 days later).
There are two additional patches of Gator Guard on my boat that I’ll wait until Spring 2027 to remove…hopefully not covering any holes in the boat!
