Something I’m experimenting with right now is liquid keel strips to add extra wear protection.
This is a brand new idea so it’s not something I’m going to be putting in any of my official instructions until I’ve done it a lot more, but for builders who don’t mind taking a risk I will share my preliminary impressions:
The first thing to know is that the polyurethane we use will not stick to itself after 24 hours so you have to do this the day after you coat.
Next I’m taping off about a quarter inch wide of the keel on either side and curling up the edges to catch drips.
After that I mix up a 2/1 oz batch, vigorously by hand for five minutes, and then let it sit for 15 minutes to slightly thicken.
Using a quality 2 inch foam brush, I paint the thickening material onto the keel and then 2 hours later I peel the tape off.
Risks: My workspace is exactly 70°. If you are working warmer or cooler your goop could thicken faster or slower. If it thickens too much it’s going to make a foamy stringy mess that you will not be able to fix. If it thickens too little, it’s just going to slide off the keel, and then there’s no point. I don’t know how to communicate the correct viscosity, so I’m really concerned about leading people into a disaster here. The normal viscosity after mixing is similar to warm honey, so maybe like cool honey but not like molasses?
Also if your urethane is not tinted this strip will look like white snot.
So that’s what I know for right now. I have learned that you really don’t wanna peel the tape off too early and you also really don’t want to peel it off too late so stick to two hours there and you should be just about right.
Also I think it would be pointless to do this on a canoe. For canoes you have to tape off up to the second chine and coat the whole bottom.
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