It should come as no surprise that a little love can go a long way – especially when it comes to maintaining your kayak. If you want to increase the worry-free time you spend on the water and add years to the life of your boat, then consider this simple framework to learn how to maintain your kayak.
To maintain your kayak so that it performs optimally, you’ll need to 1. Keep it clean and free from debris, 2. Protect it from harmful UV radiation, 3. Maintain the moving parts so that they keep moving, 4. Repair damage, 5. Store the boat with hull-safety in mind.
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Table of Contents
How to Keep Your Kayak Clean and Free from Debris
Your kayak is like a teenager’s bedroom. After a few months, funky stuff ends up inside that needs to be removed.
Pond scum can solidify on the hull of your boat. The longer you wait to remove it, the more it feels like cement. Oh, and you could probably start a sanctuary with the various critters that make the inside of kayaks their home.
To get rid of kayak debris, turn your boat upside down and place it on two sawhorses. Position those sawhorses such that they are located approximately under the bulkheads of your boat. (This really only works if you have a rigid kayak.)
Wash your kayak. Use a hose to spray down the exterior of your kayak. This needs to be done with clean water, not to be confused with ‘fresh’ water, which is actually quite dirty.
Use a kayak sponge and mild detergent to clean the surfaces of your boat. Don’t use dish soap. Dish soap can ruin the finish of your gelcoat (if your boat is fibreglass). Consider a bucket of water combined with a detergent formulated to clean boats and RVs. This will help preserve any coating on your kayak.
Be sure to clean all of those nooks and crannies in your boat where friendly critters tend to take up residence. If you paddle a sit-in kayak, this entails reaching deep into the bow of your boat to get it clean. This requires commitment to the process but is what you’ll need to do to empty your kayak interior of unwelcome visitors – dead or alive. In the astute words of Shrek the ogre: “Better out than in, I always say!”
Finish scrubbing the inside and outside surfaces of your boat. Then spray water across the exterior as well as the cockpit and interior of the boat to remove the residual soap. At the same time, be sure to loosen and remove any dirt, rocks and sand before they insert themselves into your rudder or foot peg mechanisms.
If your kayak seat can be removed, do so and clean the underside where guck tends to collect
Maintain Your Kayak by Protecting from UV Radiation
With squeaky-clean surfaces inside and outside your kayak, you can now take the important step of protecting it from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
If you paddle a polyethylene boat, then UV radiation is most certainly not your friend. Poly boats that spend extended periods of time under the sun are prone to hull deterioration. UV rays beat down on them, weakening their material and compromising their strength.
This doesn’t mean you can’t take your boat out on the water for a few days. Rather, it means that over time, your hull will pay the price for playing in the sun, just like the rest of us.
303 Aerospace Protectant. This stuff is known as ‘sunscreen for your kayak’. If you paddle a poly kayak, you should have a case of this compound and apply it to your boat’s exterior frequently.
303 comes in spray form. Apply it with a cloth to the top of your boat (or even life vest) and do your best to spread it evenly. Include any rubber hatches and buff them up with 303 until they are shiny. When complete, buff off any excess that might remain. Water beads when it comes in contact with 303. If you notice that water is no longer beading, that’s your signal that it’s time to reapply.
303 protectant does not contain silicon and doesn’t leave a greasy residue. It can be used on composite plastic kayaks as well, though wax is often a better protector against UV rays.
While 303 Aerospace Protectant is a terrific UV protector for rotomolded, poly and inflatable boats, it is less effective for other, less porous kayak materials.
303 is one of those products that is tricky to find in a brick-and-mortar store but is readily available online. This Amazon link will let you check out availability and current pricing.
Fibreglass, Kevlar and some composite kayaks often do better with marine waxes and polishes. These coatings not only protect less porous kayak surfaces, but they remove oxidation from finishes, intensify color, and seal and protect the hull from damage.
It is worth it to find the right UV protectant for the surface of your particular kayak.
Keep the Moving Parts of Your Kayak Moving
If you are pulling your beloved boat out of winter hibernation, then you’re likely stoked about the prospects of the upcoming season. This is the perfect time to make sure everything is moving as it should and to make any necessary repairs before the first ‘put in’ of the year.
Inspect your rudder and/or skeg. Take a close look at the stainless steel cables, deployment lines and pedal hardware. If there is any damage, now is the time to either perform a DIY fix or bring your boat in to a professional. Most maintenance and repairs can be completed by a motivated, semi-handy paddler.
Apply a squirt of WD-40 or some dry lubricant to the main pivot points, pedals and sliders. Also, inject a judicious amount of lubricant through any cable housings. This latter task is best accomplished with the kayak standing on its end.
Be sure to clean all debris from your adjustable foot peg mechanism. Any grit that remains in the track or pivots will create hours of heartache on the water. Be thorough with your work, here.
Similarly, make sure that your skeg slider (if equipped) is sliding smoothly and that the skeg blade is lowering as desired.
Inspect your lines and cords. If you find that your bungee cords have lost too much elasticity, now is the time to replace them. If, however, you find that the ends of your bungee cords are fraying, apply a dab of silicone or hot glue. Then cut a short sleeve of electrical heat-shrink tubing and attach to the bungee ends. Finally, apply heat to shrink the tubing.
Inspect your hatch seals. Hatch seals can deteriorate from both use as well as UV exposure. This results in holes that allow water to enter your kayak. If the hole is manageable, consider using a Bulkhead Sealing Kit from Harmony or even an application of Marine Goop to seal the leak.
Keep the paddle ferrule clean from debris. If you allow sand and dirt to jam up the ferrule of your two-piece paddle, constructing and deconstructing it will quickly become a heart-breaking affair. Make sure the ferrule is free from sand and that it is sufficiently well-lubricated to allow for quick set-up and take-down.
Finding and Repairing Damage to Your Kayak
Over the course of a season, it is natural for your boat to accumulate nicks and scratches as you bump, slide and grind over obstacles in the water. Sometimes the damage is obvious. Other times, the pool of water forming at the bottom of your kayak shows that your boat has sustained damage, but you just don’t know where. A key part of learning how to maintain your kayak is finding and repairing damage.
The material from which your kayak is constructed determines the method to find leaks and make necessary repairs.
I wrote an in-depth, step-by-step article about protecting rigid kayak hulls, finding leaks and making repairs here.
I wrote another in-depth, step-by-step article about finding leaks and making repairs to inflatable kayaks here.
Over time, you might find a little water seeping into the cockpit. Over time, it will become an increasing nuisance as your bottom gets wetter and wetter.
This occurs as the seal between your bulkhead and hull breaks down. If this has become a problem for you, you might benefit from reading my article How to Re-Seal a Kayak Bulkhead in 10 Actually-Easy Steps.
How to Store Your Kayak in a Hull-Protecting Way
If you paddle an inflatable kayak, check out our article about drying and storing it here.
If your kayak is rigid, then you’ll need to store it differently in order to help it keep its shape over the winter.
Frankly, proper storage is another key component in understanding how to maintain your kayak.
Most rigid kayaks should be stored on well-padded brackets or suspended by nylon-strap slings. (These are two Amazon affiliate links that will help you learn more about the tools available help you store kayaks – including how much they cost.)
One really cool contraption that I just discovered is a hoist and pulley system that helps you lift your kayak towards the ceiling without blowing out your back.
The spacing of the brackets or slings should be such that they line up with the location of the bulkheads inside your kayak. This puts the greatest pressure on the strongest parts of the boat.
If you have a recreational kayak with a large cockpit, position the cockpit combing so that it rests on the storage bars.
The softer the material of your kayak hull, the higher the likelihood that the hull loses shape during storage.
While always following the storage instructions provided from the manufacturer for your particular boat, consider changing the storage position of your kayak half-way through the storage season. This will all you to disperse the structural stresses associated with sitting in storage.
Also bear in mind that exposure to excessive sun, heat, cold and frost all serve to compromise the hull of your boat.
Sure, it sounds like kayaks require their own living quarters with optimized temperature, exercise facilities and custom meal-planning, but the reality isn’t that extreme.
If your boat is stored outside, keep it out of the sun and protect it with a tarp. If you have the choice between storing your boat in a shed/garage or keeping it in the backyard, inside is better than outside.
(The previous Amazon affiliate link takes you to a useful kayak cover that cinches tight with a draw cord to create a form-fitting cover. No blue tarp flapping around in the breeze!)
When storing your kayak, be sure that the inside is clean but dry. This will keep mold and mosquito infestations from making a home. When you are sure that the interior is dry, then attach the cockpit cover. This will keep other vermin out of your boat, as well.
As you are preparing for the hibernation of your kayak, undo the hatch quick-release buckles and remove the hatch covers from the rims. This will help your hatch straps keep their elasticity for longer. In the place of the hatch covers, consider placing pieces of window screen, or some similar porous cover over the hatches and attach them with rubber bands. This will facilitate air flow while keeping unwelcome guests from finding a way into the boat.
Providing a clean, temperate environment to store your rigid kayak will go a long way towards protecting its hull.
A little love goes a long way when it comes to kayaks. Typically, the investment is more one of time than of money. Intentionally keeping your kayak clean, protecting it from UV rays, keeping the moving parts moving, making repairs and storing it in a hull-safe manner will keep you and your beloved boat on the water together for a long time.