I decided to install a rubber keel guard to protect the bottom of the FRP hull when in shallow water. It may be of some use if I do a landing on asphalt or grass with the wheels up, but then again it might go up like the heat shield of a space vehicle upon re-entry. West Marine (boat supply house) sells the MEGAWARE KEELGUARD which attaches using a swab-on primer and 3M pressure-sensitive adhesive. I ordered the black 8' long model. The instructions insist on 15C (60F) application temperature so after masking out the area along the keel (5.5" wide) for the priming area, I took the rubber keel guard home to soften it up over night. To find the start point at the bow I skipped ahead in the manual to Section 20 step 9 to where it says that the Bow Eye will be installed about 8" down from the hull lip. The next morning it was 5C in the hangar so I fired up the big gas heater and kept an eye on the thermometer. Five hours later the mercury just got up to the proscribed temperature so I swabbed on the primer using just one of the two vials provided. Five minutes later I laid the keel guard in place starting at the bow, pulling off the adhesive's cover tape in two foot lengths as the instructions dictate. Boy, this stuff sticks fast and hard! Don't make a mistake! As the photo suggests the light is poor in the hangar and I had a hard time seeing the centre line of the guard against the keel peak. All in all, it worked out well and looks good. I will caulk the bow and stern ends of the keel guard later. In the package comes a thin stainless steel plate called the BusterBow Guard for preventing trailer roller damage on boats at the Bow Eye. Later on I will install it there, or maybe at the stern end of the keel guard as a last ditch skid plate.
