|
Plastic Welding Services
Ph# 205.441.0511
Don’t throw your money $$$$$ away on buying a new boat, when you already have one.
Have it repaired
and keep on paddling.
Our repairs are proven
and tested on our backyard Class IV-V whitewater. If your boat is cracked or
has a hole in it let
us repair it first. Also note that a repaired boat has
much more resale than an un-repaired craft. Keep your boat out of t
he landfills. Don't want to keep your boat? Contact us first. We have a recycling program also. There are too many boats
going to the landfill. Our recycle program is strictly
performed to local and federal guidelines. Let us take the worry out of
doing the right thing.
A
boat doesn't have to be cracked either to make a repair in our shop. Our biggest repair
is to fix deep gouges
that occur normally, or even
when you take a bad line when river running or creekin.
We guarantee with a limited 60 day warranty on the
repair; on the following boats or your money back*.
Pelican
Canoe ®
Coleman Canoe ®
Old Town Canoe® –Certain Models only
Dagger Kayak ®
Nomad Kayak®
Perception Kayak®
Harmony Kayak ®
Anadyr Kayak ®
Hobe Kayak ®
Wavesport Kayak ®
Mad River Kayak ®
Liquid Logic Kayak ®
Pyranha Kayak ®
Prijon Kayaks®
Eskimo Kayaks®
Riot Kayak® -Certain Models only
Necky Kayaks®
Wilderness Systems® -Certain Models only
Savage Kayak and Canoes® -Certain Models Only
Robson Kayaks and Canoes® -Certain Models Only
We can repair the following boats with a slightly more limited warranty*
Fluid kayaks®
Jackson Kayaks®
Riot Kayak® -Certain Models only
DragoRossi Kayaks®
Dagger Kayaks®
Early 90’s models
Perception Kayaks® Early 90’s models
Wavesport
Kayaks® Early 90’s models
Another victim of the Toxaway, ready for another day and a Blunt is kept alive!
*We
only refund our labor and materials, implied transportation costs or any other associated costs are not applicable.
Whitewater
paddling is a very dangerous sport; we are not responsible for the end use of our product or repair.
This
guarantee is applied differently to factory pro-rated claims. Please contact us for further details on pro-rated claims.
Shipping:
We here at Plastic Welding Services™ are paddlers
too! We can pickup your boat are certain locations
that are on
our way to our favorite runs in the Southeast. Also we are located by an International Airport
and can pickup
your boat using Forward Air™ or Sports Express™ when shipped to us. Also we can use
a limited
number of truck carriers. We are also centrally located by three Interstate Highway systems in
central Alabama. Just contact us first to let us know which route you want to go. Most of our customers
are from other
Southeastern states, and haveeven had boats ship to us from the Northwest.
$$$$$$$$:
Labor/Material rates vary due to the volatile market
of petroleum products, but with that said, and the use
of a Digital Camera and e-mail, we can give an accurate
estimate, and we will stick to our quote, and our
warranty.
Time Frame:
We also have a quick turn around, just please don't
expect to drop your boat off
and expect to paddle the next day, the average repair
per boat takes 3-5 days
due to varying cure times of plastics and colors.
Payment Terms:
We take
Money Orders, Cash and Major Credit Cards via PayPal
Composite Services:
We here at Plastic Welding Services™come from the old school, and are very familiar with composite
boats and repair. Feel free to contact us for a quote on your favorite glass boat, be
that Slamon, Squirt,
C-1, OC-1 or a Cruiser mode of transportation.
Mfg Warranty Claims:
We also perform claims for leading boating manufacturers
and dealers. contact us to see if you qualify
for our welding
services. Many pro-rated claims are handled through our shop.
Full Blown Mods:
As stated before we are old school, and back in
the day we would take composite boats and make 1/4,
1/2,3/4 and Full cuts to make them our own. Now
we have for special customers have taken plastic
Freestyle boats and Creek boats and modified them
and made them" one-of-a kind " for our special
customers needs and can do the same for you. Ever
paddled a 1/4 cut Java?
Other Welding Services.
A natural extension of business is of course welding,
and we offer minor welding services of carbon
steel and certain aluminums.We have even been known
to fix an Aluminum Canoe or two, or a Bomb-Proof
rack.
This boat boat was borrowed by his brother without permission, now fixed
to where
no one would know....oooops now you know!
*We only refund
our labor and materials, implied transportation costs or any other associated costs
are not applicable.
Whitewater paddling
is a very dangerous sport; we are not responsible for the end use of our
product or repair.
This guarantee is applied
differently to factory pro-rated claims. Please contact us for further
details on pro-rated
claims.
Frequently
Asked Questions:
Other things to know:
We use a proprietary adhesive with a mastic petroleum based
product on repairs so higher quality
repairs are done to help you keep paddling and to make an over the top repair.Our repair
techniques are field tested under harsh conditions and we have lessons learned that we apply
to repairs. We boat too! And we paddle our repaired boats like they are stolen.
We have even worked with our customers, to where they can perform
some of the labor to keep
cost down.
There are many ways to recycle boats! Kings Bend
Signage outside Cleveland Alabama
*We only refund our labor and
materials, implied transportation costs or any other associated costs are not applicable.
Whitewater paddling is a very dangerous sport; we are not responsible
for the end use of our product or repair.
This
guarantee is applied differently to factory pro-rated claims. Please contact us for further details on pro-rated claims.
Question:
What causes a boat to crack?
Answer:
Generally it depends on a number of things. Usually it is a stress fracture due
to loose bolting, or
internal hardware producing stress, or it can be due to improper care, lack of use of, Protectant 303
storage etc. Sometimes is just plain ole dumb luck. The biggest thing we have seen cracking due to
oil canning and loose bolt damage and not a certain brand.
Question:
If I do get a crack, what should I do?
Answer:
First as soon as possible quit paddling the boat, and contact
us, continued paddling
without a repair can ruin the boat beyond repair.
Also we usually have more work
involved repairing homebrew fixes than actual welding
repair work, and man we have
seen a lot. Duct tape or glue, and patches
require harsh chemical removers, when
the problem could be eliminated in the first place.
We have even seen repairs with
soldiering irons, and propane torches they just
don’t work. We have state of the art,
forced air; calibrated welding equipment, and we
are certified by A.S.M.E.
Once you
contact us, we can help walk you thru the crack problem, cracks are as different
as snow flakes, so don’t hesitate to
contact us .
Question:
Why should I repair my boat?
Answer:
We first of all kayaking is an environmental sport, if you
can keep a boat out of the landfill
all the better, and boats are created from
limited fossil fuels, and we all see on the news
the costs of this resource, from political unrest
in other countries to high gas prices.
Some boats
maybe un-repairable, we have a recycler located near us that we donate the
boats to. Your boat can be used then to make carpets
to car bumpers.
Also boats cost so much
today. We got into welding boats to repair holes that we were putting
in them from wear. Today it doesn’t bother
us to run something low or drag a boat on a long carry.
Because the boat can be repaired, and we are not
getting new boats every year! This has kept
our number of paddling days up.
Also repaired
boats once sell an average 50%-75% more retail on EBay than a non-repaired boat.
We even perform collapsible bulkhead
mods to help your ankles and knee block mods to help your roll.
Question:
Do you perform warranty work?
Answer:
Yes we do, with permission
from the manufacturer we have performed repairs to keep the
paddler going until the warranty hull is ship. We
can even transfer your hardware to you new
boat. Some repairs have been outright repairs for
grey areas of warranty claims. We have even
help in documentation for helping customers in the
warranty claim endeavors. We have been
referred by boat manufactures to perform their repair
work.
Question:
Which manufacture have you seen the most claims and repair
crack problems.
Answer:
Well to give politician answer and to answer truthfully, we
have seen cracks and splits from all
manufactures. It seems the quality of the boat is
mainly human factors, due to cook times,
installation of hardware etc. We see more playboats,
and this may be due to more on the market,
and we see hardware caused failures due to loose
bolts….tighten those screws down!
Question:
Is there a color I should choose when looking at buying a
new boat?
Answer:
Believe it or not, and this maybe the start of an urban legend,
we are fond of the primary
colored boats. Think of your basic crayon box. All
boats are capable of a crack and
primary colored boats make a more appealing
repair. We love swirled colored boats,
as long as you stick to the primary colors, the
repair is prettier, BUT that said we just finished
a teal and purple swirled boat that turned out really
nice.
A worn out hull, ready for another season of low water paddling!
*We only refund our labor and materials, implied transportation costs or any other
associated costs
are not applicable.
Whitewater
paddling is a very dangerous sport; we are not responsible for the end use of our product
or repair.
This
guarantee is applied differently to factory pro-rated claims. Please contact us for further details
on
pro-rated claims.
Question:
Is there a certain design that I should look for to help reduce
future repairs?
Answer:
Try to look for a boat with slightly rounded chines, harsh chines make a better stress
riser, chines
make the boat, but look for the chines to be slightly rounded and not a straight 90 degree angle.
Other than go for what you like!
Question:
Do you do other boat repair work other than welding boats?
Answer:
Yes we do, one of latest projects was repairing an aluminum hanging seat for a European
model boat,
and we just finished repairing Aluminum canoes for a local canoe livery. We have even updated older
boats with updated hardware. You should see the shop’s Java. The old school outfitting is
gone with
Wavesport thigh hooks and aftermarket ratchet straps and updated bulkhead and reformed seat. A
majority of our work lately is outfitting kayaks for our customers, who either don't have the time or
want
us to apply our field techniques to their craft.
Question:
I have a cracked boat, which I do not wish to paddle
anymore. Does your company buy damaged boats?
Answer:
Yes we do! We would rather purchase the boat from
you than see it go to a local landfill,
and we will try to give a fair price on the boat.
Prices vary on the model and the damage
of the boat. We have yet to turn away and a boat
or customer, so feel free to contact us.
More detailed pictures of the Toxaway victim. Believe it or not the paddler didn't
get his ankles broken!
*We
only refund our labor and materials, implied transportation costs or any other associated costs are not applicable.
Whitewater
paddling is a very dangerous sport; we are not responsible for the end use of our product or repair.
This
guarantee is applied differently to factory pro-rated claims. Please contact us for further details on pro-rated claims.
Top Ten Things you can do to make
your boat live longer
#1 Store your boat
on its hull. It is better to store a long boat; by hanging it or store it on it's side
#2 A short kayak can be stored on its end. NEVER ON ITS HULL.
We prefer to tore long boats by
hanging them and short boats on
their ends to prevent oil canning.
#3 Never store
your boat in direct sunlight.
#4 If possible
transport your boat in a kayak transport bag to avoid sunlight and damage.You spent over
a $1000 dollars on that new boat
what’s another couple of dollars for a good bag? If a bag is not used see #5
#5 Use non-petroleum
based product such Protectant 303 to help protect the boat while in storage and
transportation. Plastics over time
degrade and lose their oil in their polymers. Automotive types of products
are not recommended at the
moment due to the lack of testing on our part and being petroleum based.
#6 Store your boat
in a climate control environment such a garage that has heating and air. With today’s
higher pollution and ozone levels
this is a killer of boat if you store it outside without some sort of protection.
This has been a hotly debated
issue, due to the fact we paddle our boats outside. But the fact is we do not
boat 24-7 in direct sunlight. Even
the best UV block added to polymer degrades over time. Case in point
look at you dashboard on your car,
in 5 years it won't be the same color it was when it left the factory. Try to
keep you boat inside or in
the shade when not in use.
#7 Never
transport your boat on its hull, it is better to transport it on its side.Never transport a boat on its
cockpit rim. This is a leading cause
of deck and cockpit rim failure.
#8 Don’t
over tighten the tie-down straps when transporting a boat. You want the straps snug, not crushing
the boat.
#9 After a demanding
creek run or demanding day working on Freestyle moves; re-tighten all th screws,
loose screws will stress the
plastic. Use an RTV type caulk on the screw/bolt threads to keep the screws
from backing out. It will
also help you have a dryer boat!
#10 Never let someone
borrow your boat. Unless it’s your Mother-in-Law, then in that case we have some
culled boats in the back you can
borrow! :)
Photo Gallery of Repairs
Baked from the
sun and VERRRRY Brittle!
E ZG Wavesport repair, we were the first to come up with a fix
for the "cockpit cracking syndrome" known for these boats.
Welded patch on a hull of another
patient.
*We only refund our labor and materials, implied transportation
costs or any other associated costs are not applicable. Whitewater paddling is a very dangerous sport; we are not responsible
for the end use of our product or repair. This guarantee is applied differently to factory pro-rated claims. Please contact us for further details on pro-rated claims.
Tired
of losing your drainplug? We have a fix!
Don't have enough foot room? We can help.
*We only refund our labor and materials, implied transportation costs or any other associated costs are not applicable.
Whitewater
paddling is a very dangerous sport; we are not responsible for the end use of our product or repair.
This
guarantee is applied differently to factory pro-rated claims. Please contact us for further details on pro-rated claims.
Just another Graft Job!
We work on Cross-linked Old Towns...
Old Town Canoe Repair
We make snow sleds too!
Gouge Repair to a Dancer...we help
keep old boats alive!
Read
Below to find how the welds hold up.
|
