Stealth Suplaite X - purchased

yeboants

Member
Ok.. as per numerous previous posts.. back to my original quest which is finally solved... bought a Supalite X as no luck on Evo or Fisha

However it needs some TLC  so my thought process is.. bought it for a decent price.. plan to spend some money on it.. make it good as new again and then sorted for a good few years. simple :)


So this might turn into a project thread even..

Step 1. 
- anyone can recommend someone in the PE area that can do fibreglass work (minor) and respray for me?
- Paint to use?
- Estimated price I can expect on sanding down and respray of kayak - 4.6mtrs?
(thinking all-white for now.. but as its a clean slate.. might toy with grey and orange GT stripes - ideas welcome) depends on costs..
- rod holders etc faded from to much sun.. so can they be refurbished or best to be replaced?

Outside seam tape and fitting I should be able to purchase from Stealth direct? unless someone in PE can supply these also?

pics to follow soon

Any other tips would be appreciated
Thanks
Anton
 

Fredster

Senior Member
Hi Anton.
Enjoy your new project and getting your ski st up and sorted. We all use Justin Dent, highly recommended. Will pm no to you. He is in Charlo.
Regards F
 

bassbug

New member
congrats on your purchase
i recently redone the entire seam on my evo 465 and it was quite a job but i loved it. i took a knock from a fellow kayaker in december and the top deck pulled from the seam with a few noticeable compression cracks above the seam line. there was no need to redo the whole seam only about 100mm but i was tired of the black and wanted it white as the rest of the kayak. i have no experience in this so i you tubed the info, stealth has a few repair clips in this matter so do other fibreglass kayaks. in the interim i phone for quotes and just to redo the seam it would set me back anything from 1000 to 1300. because i love my kayak i also wanted to repair those little scratches on the bottom of the hull, sand down the old glare and replace the old silicon on the screwed fittings (they dont last forever).
so i found a store in pretoria (davidson fibreglass) and bought the supplies i needed. 1kg freefix glue (for glueing the top deck to the hull and to be used for those imperfections/dents on the new seam for an even smooth fish, like body filler) for 150 bucks, 1kg resin for 137 bucks, 1kg pool coat in white (other opt for gel coat but read pool coat was the bomb) for 165 bucks, 2x 20g catlyst/hardener for 60 bucks, 10m of 25mm tape (this fibreglass tape is a great help as it edges are sewed and dont fray making it easy to work with) at 6 bucks a meter for a total of 60 bucks, 6x masks (to cover your mouth and nose) for 84 bucks and last a litre of acetone for 45 bucks. in total 799.10 incl vat. other perishables i had at home like masking tape (used about 100m), buffing compound and wax, sanding paper (dry and wet - the dry 120 grit to remove most of the tape, 200 and 400 dry grit to remove most of the new bulk pool coat in cracks, then a recipe of wet sanding of 500, 800, 1200, 1500 grit until the repaired cracks were level with the old paint, the entire kayak i wet snaded with 1200 and 1500 before buffing. most of all the fine scratches dissapeared) and lastly a few latex gloves.
i used a circular sanding machine (125mm) to help remove the old seam, also used a dremmel to remove the damaged gelcoat from cracks and lastly a buffing machine (180mm). without these tools i would of gave up on the project so if you dont have them ask a friend for his.
for the serious fibreglass repairs you may need a boat builder's advise because it may need fibreglassing from the inside and it may need for the deck and hull to be seperated.
the only other tips i have is to sand your kayak outside the house, close all the windows, wear your face mask and eye protection, wear long trousers and long sleeved shirt. be patient and be carefull to not overdo any sanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr8yntysgZQ
 

Malboer

New member
plus 1 on the poolcoat/topcoat. easy to apply and as strong as gelcoat. sand down with 1000 wet paper then using a orbital buffer and mccrystals liqud lens repair kit( to buff out scratches on your cars light lenses from builders warehouse) you will get a deep white factory look. some of my own repairs you cant even see.

Now im tempted to do some fixing of my own ha ha ha

Regards
Malboer

Edit

Rather than using paint that is like R1000 a litre and difficult to mix ect ect. Im thinking of rather coating all in poolcoat. might ad some weight but if prepwork is done well it wont chip peel or scratch like paint would.

Just a thought
 

yeboants

Member
Ok cool thanks for the feedback to date..
So I collected the Ski.. as mentioned it is in needs of some tlc... bit of paint rubbed off on the bottom and a 'attempted' repair on the seem front right hand side. needs a bit of fiberglass and sanding.

I stripped most of the fittings etc.. but realized too much work to take on as I have zero exp on Fiberglass and painting thereof  etc..

So currently it is booked in with a pro for a sanding down and custom spray job... will try and replace (pending costs) most of the fittings where possible.

should have it back in a couple of weeks.. can't wait.

some pics of before and after the strip. will post more once back from paint
Cheers
 

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yeboants

Member
Some more advise needed..
The Hatch lid was modified with hinges on the side rather than the original back end.
Holes are still there - so wondering should I move it back to how it was originally?
I will be adding a fish finder to it so need to be mindful of the cables etc. might opt for the flush mount lid even.
so do i revert back to the original method of opening?

cheers
 

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bassbug

New member
the main reason for original hinge was to prevent water coming into the hatch when going thru the surf.
at the moment its a personal thing, the original hinged meant you have to reach over (forward) to get to the lid even less if the finder was on because it sits in between the lid and deck. in its current set up, will the finder be uncomfortable laying on the leg (temporary). do you have a battery box, on which side, because of transducer placement and its cables could hinder or foul with other gear.
if you happy or can accept its current set up, test to see if it works, throw a bucket of water (like a wave) to see if it seals or not, if not, check the seal under the lid for improvements and keep in mind that the wet hatch lid never sealed water from coming in completely.

also noticed there are no straps to secure the lid down, this did help to seal the lid from water and in event of a roll over to secure your gear from falling out
 

Malboer

New member
Hi Pros and cons regarding hatch lid.

Pros. as is. offer a bit of protection on the legs when handling fish. it will also double as a little table workspace when baiting up or rigging up. you can with this run a electrical conduit to run your fish finder cables in, (not much movement).

Cons. No splash strip. solid fixed position. sometimes when the wind is howling it blows it shut.

Removable with splash cover.

Pros. can be removed during transport, washing and storage of your ski and fishfinder. Good place to store knives and pliers.

Cons. lots of movement of electrical wires. far to reach. flops around in rough weather.

I have had mine both ways in the end it will be what is easiest for you. I do like the flush mount lid with the splash cover. and have my original lid for transport and storage.

Regards
Malboer
 

yeboants

Member
Yes the pic has no straps etc as i have taken them off to get it repainted etc.
Will stick with the current setup with latch being sideways.. like the idea of extra work space, less mission to open and close and some protection when handling fish.
can always change back if needs be.
cheers
 

yeboants

Member
Ok.. some update as it's been a while.
got the Ski back painted and looking good.
replaced most of the fittings with new ones.. new dryhatch and rudder lids. managed to get a clear cover as a paddle protector from stealh in durban so the paint is not hidden away.
so its just about ready.. baby steps :)

next on the list is to fit my fishfinder..
herein lies the next question.. I have a Lowrance Mark-5X DSI with the round bullet shape transducer.. question - anyone mounted this type before? I would assume the mounting option is no different than the ones that has a flat bottom? ie glue into the inside of the hull make sure it is upright etc,
for this.. can I use alcoflex multipurpoase sealant/adhesive instead of a pure silicone?

It had a garmin transducer mounted by previous owner.. succesfully removed (free to a good home - cable+transducer only - only power cable is cut)

cheers
anton
 

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yeboants

Member
It had a garmin transducer mounted by previous owner.. succesfully removed (free to a good home - cable+transducer only - only power cable is cut)
 

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Fredster

Senior Member
hey Ants, the paint job on the ski looks very nice, unique. I would like to take you up on your offer, on behalf of my mate malgas brendan, if you don't mind..
see you on the water soon - gimme a shout when u ready.
shot F
 
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