The great boats produced by Old Town Canoe Co. are manufactured in Old Town, Maine, USA.
Old Town creates extremely durable and high-quality boats made from Rotomolded Polyethylene. Polyethylene is a very durable and lightweight type of thermoplastic that is widely used for multiple types of products.
Old Town recommends storing your kayak indoors, deck-side down covering about 30% of the kayak’s length on some kind of padded support.
If storing your kayak outside is your only option, it is recommended to cover the cockpit to try and prevent any water from getting inside. Also, for outdoor storage, tieing down your kayak is highly recommended. In the occurrence of strong winds, tying down your kayak can prevent the winds from flipping it and causing damage. Sun exposure may fade the color of your kayak over time, so keeping it out of the sun is ideal. Using a tarp directly on your kayak is not recommended. Too much heat from the sun under the tarp can create an environment that could potentially damage, distort, or discolor the hull. A tarp can be used as long as there is a proper amount of space for air circulation.
Before repairing your Old Town kayak, polyethylene hulls must be polarized because there is no material that will bond to polyethylene permanently before it is polarized. The area of damage first needs to be roughened with sandpaper and cleaned.
How to properly polarize my kayak? To begin this process, you will need a hand-help propane torch. Contact with the hull to the small, bright blue flame is essential. All that needs to be done is wave the flame across the hull. You do not need to worry about melting or blackening the surface. What happens during this process is the flame is oxidizing the surface for the repair to take place. Make sure you do not touch the surface with your bare hands after this process because oils from your skin can reverse the process.
To make sure you do not overheat, the surface should never become too hot to the touch. You should apply heat to both the inside and outside surfaces to slowly warm the area. You can then apply pressure from the inside to have the material return to its original shape.
Hull Exterior: Mild soap and water should do the trick but you can also use Murphy’s Oil Soap. If you are looking to beautify your hull, you can use a vinyl protectant product (Armor All®, 303 Products or Pledge). Waxing your hull with a paste wax is not recommended.
Hull Interior: Only use mild soap and water for the interior of your hull. Do NOT use any of the above products recommended for the exterior of your hull on the interior.
To register your Old Town kayak you will need to make a visit to your local DMV/revenue office. All you need is your original receipt and the manufacturer’s statement of origin which can be found in your owner’s manual.
If you need a more formal Bill of State, please email us at Sales@ecofishingshop.com with your serial number and we will get that information to you.
If you have any Old Town Kayak questions that were not answered above, please feel free to give us a call.
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