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<\/a>However the nature of sea kayaking mean that the Taran is going to take some wear and tear during it’s life like it or not. So fitting end-guards to look after the hull can be useful.<\/p>\n
Bow Guards<\/h5>\n
I have a bow guard fitted to the Taran I use for running the Bores, the shallower ones can result in the bow sliding along the river bed. I also fitted one on my first GB Circumnav boat, it was useful for those solo scratchy launches and landings with a heavy boat. (However I didn\u2019t have one fitted to the 2nd GB Circ boat and it survived pretty well.)<\/p>\n
I also have fitted them to training boats, as high-speed rock\/boat interactions do occur at times! The ‘light bow’ of the Taran means that a well built rock-guard has minimal detrimental effect on boat handling, but can save hours of boat repairs.<\/p>\n
Stern Guards<\/h5>\n
I feel are less important on the whole for the Taran.
\nFit one if:
\na) You are going on a long-solo exped where you will likely have no option but to drag the boat at times.
\nb) You like to treat a boat badly. (A Taran is for life not just for Christmas!)<\/p>\n
The idea<\/h5>\n
When the Taran was being built for my first GB Circumnav we took an idea from my days of Wild Water Racing and fitted it to the Taran \u2013 the composite Bow Guard. As a WWR paddler on the shallow, rocky rivers of the\u00a0 UK you learn that the Bow (or Rock) Guard is indispensable, to keep a boat hull in race condition for as long as possible.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a simple idea: lay-up a few layers of Kevlar braid (or tape) on the bow of the boat. Once this has cured it provides a tough shield against wear and moderate impact. Weight is minimal (a matter of grams) and if constructed carefully it provides minimal drag to the boat too.<\/p>\n In the racing world the Bow Guard is designed to be removable, held in place with tape for training and easily removed for racing. With the Taran a removable guard is less significant. The added weight or drag is minimal.<\/p>\n This guide covers the building of a removable guard.<\/p>\n First choose your fabric. Kevlar braid will give a very tough guard but can become quite bulky. Kevlar tape results in a more minimalist guard but gives less protection. I use tape for my faster boats and a combination of braid over tape for my heavy wear boats. A reasonable compromise would be 2 layers of 25mm tape overlapped by a layer of 32mm braid. You can use wider fabrics but that may make the guard quite bulky and may be overkill. Cut your material to length \u2013 start at the bow, at the lower edge of the deck\/hull seam and \u2018stretch\u2019 the tape around to reach the keel a little beyond the end of the curve. Turn the boat upside down and stretch a layer of Clingfilm over the bow area. Hold the edges in place with masking tape \u2013 tension the Cling Film to make it as smooth as possible. Ensure you cover well beyond the working area or you will spend time scraping off resin drips later! Paint a layer of epoxy resin over the Clingfilm in the area where the guard will be. Wet a strip of Kevlar tape on a piece of cardboard and then place it onto the Clingfilm. Wearing gloves(!!) – gently \u2018pinch\u2019 the tape and run your fingers along the tape from the centre out towards the ends. Repeat this until the weave in the Kevlar tape stretches (a little) and the Kevlar tape holds in place without any puckering along the edges. This may take a little time \u2013 be patient! Add your next layer of Kevlar tape and repeat the smoothing, and then repeat the whole process until you have the required number of layers. Ensure each piece of Kevlar tape is slightly longer than the previous to give a smooth overlap at the ends.<\/p>\n This next stage is optional: it gives a smoother finish, but it can be fiddly and\u00a0 takes a little practice (and patience): Allow it all to go off (overnight, and it needs some warmth for epoxy) and then remove the whole thing from the boat. DO NOT remove the guard from the boat until it has gone off fully or it will distort.<\/p>\n Discard the cling film and masking tape, remove the Peel-Ply and then carefully trim any sharp edges of the Bow Guard. Use a hacksaw\/band saw to trim the end to length as necessary.<\/p>\n If it is to be a removable guard then drill a small hole at the top, to thread a thin cord lanyard through which in turn is tied to the bow-toggle. The guard is now attached to the boat with a couple of strips of gaffer-tape running across the top end of the guard. Don’t put anything at the bottom end; it will peel away producing a fountain of drag! Note: Don’t slide the boat rearwards with a taped guard, it will catch and peel off.<\/p>\n Alternatively the guard can be held permanently fixed in place with a thin layer of waterproof grab-adhesive such as Sikaflex. On the stern a similar process can be used.<\/a><\/a>Building a Bow Guard<\/h5>\n
\nA little Peel-Ply can be useful to tidy things up too. You can use either polyester or epoxy resin, though using epoxy will give a much more robust guard.<\/p>\n
\nYou are going to lay-up the fabric on the hull so you need to ensure you can release the finished guard and keep the hull clean from excess resin. So you\u00a0 can use either release agent\/wax, or for a rough and ready but effective method you can use food wrap (Cling Film). I figure if you are using the former you probably don\u2019t need help from this guide, so we\u2019ll take a look at the Cling Film method instead.<\/p>\n
\nCut strips of your Kevlar Tape to the desired length, the more strips the stronger the guard but thicker the finished piece. You\u2019ll get a better finish if you can lay up the widest tape on the outer-layer.<\/p>\n
\nPlace a length of Peel-Ply over the last layer of Kevlar tape with a good overlap. Now using your fingers once again smooth the Peel-Ply as per the Kevlar tape. The Peel-Ply does not stretch or form like the weave in the Kevlar so this stage can be rather fiddly. However with patience (and a dollop of resin) it should eventually give a smooth finish with no puckering. However it can be tricky \u2013 remember this one is optional!<\/p>\n
\nIf you hit anything now the guard will spread the load and minimise damage to the gelcoat.<\/p>\nStern Guard<\/h5>\n
\nHere a removable guard is less useful. The rear guard is designed for wear rather than impact and so the guard really needs to be a permanent addition for sea kayaking – effectively building a mini-keel strip over the stern of the boat. This is a permanent guard.<\/p>\n<\/a>