Boat & Kayak Projects RSS

If you own an inflatable boat in the Pacific Northwest, you may find yourself in need of a patch job at some point. The rocky beaches found in Puget Sound can wear on PVC or Hypalon boats causing anything from pin-hole leaks to gashes. Luckily, repairing inflatable tenders is relatively simple and can usually be accomplished on a budget and with minimal equipment.  My patching project began when I purchased an older Caribe C8 Hypalon RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat.) I was made aware by the seller prior to purchase that there was a rather large gash on the underside of the...

*** all products in photo are available in-store or click HERE *** Your winter oil change It is a good idea to change motor oil before winter. Warm up the engine so that the oil will drain more completely. Give the cooling system a fresh water rinse using a flushing port. Drain and refill the oil; replace filters. Space Heater ≠ Winterization! Electric space heaters often provide an economical source of dry heat for boat cabins. Some modern ones designed for homes are reasonably safe to use, even on a boat. But every year there are many boat fires caused by electric...

Kayak Bilge Pump Installation. Adding a bilge pump to a kayak is certainly not a need, rather it is a carefully chosen addition that can add safety, convenience and a certain ‘wow’ factor that is hard to beat. Best of all it that this is an approachable project, one that is fairly easy both on the financial end and the practical end. The reasons are as follows: When in big conditions, and you come out of your boat, being able to re enter a flooded boat and put your skirt on and just paddle is huge. When playing in any...

We were seeing dripping from the hatch above the head on our Catalina 30, so we took a closer look at the hatch above decks. We could see a void in the caulking around the hatch, so decided it was time to re-bed the hatch. Having never done this before, I called upon the expertise of Jim Knapp, of Kula Marine in Gig Harbor.  Here is the list of tools you will need: screwdriver (hatches are usually screwed on with phillips head screws, but double check what you have) small hammer (ball peen hammer works well) large flat head screwdriver...