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Monday, March 26, 2012

Product Review Part 1: Yak Attack GunnAll Skin

I was super excited when I heard the news that Yak Attack, the leader in kayak accessory engineering, would be producing a product for Hull Protection. I had been thinking over a lot of ideas when I had my 1st Pro Angler for what would be good to protect my investment. We had a thread on Maryland Kayak Fishing Forum and on the Hobie Forum with ideas that everyone could think of.

I had thought of something similar to what Yak Attack ending up creating, but I never took it seriously when it crossed my mind. My thought was to use a rubber door mat, cut it accordingly and attach to the sides of the kayak (oh well). What I ended up using on my last kayak was Stainless Steel Diamond Plating at the front and back corners of the kayak.





Well thanks to Yak Attack we now have GunnAll Skin.


I believe this product is going to be a game changer when it comes to kayak hull protection. Fishing in a kayak gives you the advantages of fishing in contact with all kinds of structure, which is a plus, but when you beat the hell out of your yak grinding up against the structure which 90% of time has barnacles and/or jagged concrete it could cost you to have to get a new kayak due to a small crack or leak in the hull.

The GunnAll Skin comes 3 foot sections with a number of widths to choose from. I chose to purchase six 6" three foot sections, thinking I could cut the pieces in half if I felt necessary (which was a simple as cutting with household scissors). It is a hard smooth, rubber like product.


For the installation it was super easy.

1. Prep the area with alcohol to clean it.
2. Unpeel the paper of the back of the rubber material.
3. Place and mold to the kayak like you would a sticker.

I found it to be easier to install in the direct sunlight, as the sun heated up the GunnAll Skin it made it a little more flexible and easier to mold to the corner of the kayak. Now here are the pictures, I know thats what you actually want to see!!

I chose to keep the sections 6" wide at the front and back of the kayak as I use those areas of the kayak to help position myself against the structure, therefore they get the most abuse.


6" corners with 3" body


Overall I'm very happy with the installation and look so far. We will see how it fairs in 2 weeks when I try to get into some Tautog action. The prices are still being finalized by Luther at Yakttack and I'm sure will be totally fair, but if you think about proctecting a $3000 investment like a Pro Angler it it worth it regardless! Be on the lookout for more new products being released by Yak Attack this spring. Check out their Facebook Page for a preview of some other new products.

Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed and thank you Luther for the opportunity to test out an awesome new product. Be on the lookout for a Youtube video and PART 2, which will be the actual product testing while fishing.

~MB
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 26, 2012 at 9:16 PM

    look forward to the update after its put to use . thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 29, 2012 at 12:58 AM

    When i think of hull protection i think bottom of the boat which takes the most abuse. 303 is the best protection against plastic yaks worst enemy UV degredation. This stuff is probably good but to be honest it doesn't look that good.To badd it doesn't come in clear. Now that would be nice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt BadenMarch 29, 2012 at 10:43 AM

      For me the bottom of the boat doesn't get any abuse. I also manuever it on a cart. And I store it in a garage, so UV isn't an issue either.

      I may come in clear or other colors eventually, it's still in the final testing stage.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousApril 1, 2012 at 5:29 AM

    KeelEazy has reinvented the kayak keel strip with an attractive 2" wide by 1/32" thick plastic material with beveled edges and a peel and stick backing that makes it clean and easy to install. KeelEazy is lighter and stronger than traditional fiberglass tape with gel coat keel strips. KeelEazy can be applied to any composite or Thermoformed kayak, and it's easy for the do-it-yourselfer to do a professional looking installation. With the help of a heat gun and a partner pulling on it, KeelEazy can be installed over the full keel in 20-30 minutes. By warming it with a heat gun on low while pulling on it, KeelEasy will stretch and bend nicely around the compound curves at the bow and stern of sea kayaks without wrinkles on all but the sharpest corners (for really tight bends in the stern part of some keels we trim the KeelEasy strip down to about 1" width locally or notch it to remove wrinkles), and it has beautiful clean edges. KeelEasy can be trimmed with a utility knife to create an opening for a skeg (we tuck a strip of it into the ends of the skeg box to add protection to this vulnerable part of your kayak). We also recommend wrapping the ends of your kayak's side seam with a small piece of Keel Easy to protect your kayak when you bump into to things (like pool walls and the ends of sea caves)..

    Fiberglass keel strips wear out just as fast as the original gelcoat bottoms of kayaks, and glass keel strips usually have rough edges that add drag. Keel Eazy is so smooth that when you apply white keel strips on white hulls you have to look hard to see that it's there, and when you do, it looks nice. We're putting Keel Easy on all our fiberglass kayaks, and we recommend you do too. .

    If needed, KeelEazy can be removed with a heat gun and alcohol. New fiberglass and roto-molded polyethylene kayaks should be prepped with Acetone before applying KeelEasy. Thermo-formed kayaks should be prepped with alcohol only. .

    Installation videos are on YouTube under KeelEazy .

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