Keel Strips

Since I haven't been able to figure out how to edit my previous review, this is a KeelEazy follow-up on durability. After two times in the water and gently docking at the boat ramp, the KeelEazy has significant holes worn through on several any areas that come in contact with concrete. When I say gentle docking, I'm always concerned about scraping my transom mounted transducer, so I neither coast in to a stop, nor ever drag my yak on the ground.

Most reviews and videos I saw praised this stuff, but I now understand the negative review comparing KeelEazy to duct tape. Although substantially thicker, I doubt there's much difference when it comes to overall performance. I'll have to patch the KeelEazy rub holes with Gorilla Tape and compare the results.

I really wanted this stuff to work, but have to give it a overall 1- Star rating because it simply does not do the job. Even worse, it was a complete waste of time and money. If you are a kayak fisherman and looking to protect your keel from "road rash" or "oyster rash", skip KeelEazy. I've only managed to test it out in fresh water lakes, which have the absolute nicest ramps and are easy on a kayak. I hate to see what KeelEazy is going to look like after it finally hits the salt, which is infested with oysters and brutal for kayak rub.

If you're someone that will either float your yak onto a trailer, does not operate around oyters and / or will strictly beach on sand, then KeelEazy will probably work just fine. Otherwise, skip it and look elsewhere. I'm hoping someone will post a viable solution. I contacted Fasco about applying Steel Flex Super Slick, which works great protecting the bottom of my skiff, but a rep said it doesn't adhere well to plastic. Until then, I will keep my Hobie plastic welder handy to patch future thin spots on the keel. Tight Lines!

Installed a two inch strip onto my new Current Designs Solstice GTS last year. KeelEazy works exactly as advertised. The white has not faded a bit (despite sitting outside keel up in the south Florida sun 24/7), and the strip shows virtually no wear despite my incessant beach landings and dragging ashore. One reviewer seemed completely displeased, but I suspect improper installation was at hand. The surface needs to be perfectly clean and dry. I used acetone to remove all traces of dirt and residual 303. We did a dry fit first, and used masking tape to establish alignment marks down the entire keel line. As I removed the backing and laid the strip down, my buddy applied the heat gun following me to soften the vinyl for perfect adhesion. He pressed down on the strip with his other hand to insure solid contact. Easy peasy, but it did take both of us. Two observations: 1) do not overheat or under heat -- just get the strip pliable; use a commercial heat gun and not your wife's hair dryer; 2) once laid and in firm contact with the hull, do not pull it back up. Trim lastly, and not as you go along. This is particularly true for radial turns. The most difficult part? Getting it started! I swear it took me ten minutes to make the initial separation of backing from the strip. All in all a cheap investment at $4.00 a running foot.

These keel strips appear to be very abrasion resistant. I installed the strips on each end (2-3-ft on bow and stern) of my 15.5-ft carbon fiber kayak. I had been super careful of my somewhat delicate boat as it has a foam core and no gel coat, so it dents and abrades quite easily. I now can launch from concrete boat ramps and pull up onto rocky beaches with no damage to my hull. After several months of hard use this summer, the keel strips show little wear, vinyl is tough, but when the strips do wear out they can be easily removed using a heat gun, and new strips installed.

Overall, I am quite please with the Keel Easy Keel Strips and highly recommend them.