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| How can I add a visibility stripe to a kayak? http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=69654 |
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| Author: | pmmpete [ Mon Mar 28, 2022 10:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | How can I add a visibility stripe to a kayak? |
Hobie only offers the 12' and 14' Pro Angler 360 Drive kayaks in green and blue camo. Those colors aren't very visible on the water. I want to add a bright orange stripe about 8 inches (20 cm) wide and 8 feet (244 cm) long to the side of my Pro Angler to make it more visible on the water, for safety purposes. But it's hard to find something which adheres firmly to rotomolded polyethylene. Vinyl wrap material doesn't stick well to kayaks. I found some bright reflective material used on road signs and as visibility stripes on trucks which has an adhesive which seems to stick well to polyethylene, but it's so thick and stiff that it appears to be suitable only for attachment to flat surfaces. What materials can I use to add a visibility stripe to my Pro Angler? Orange duct tape will stick to polyethylene, but I'd have to lay down four strips of duct tape to produce an eight inch wide strip, which I think would look kind of shabby. For safety reasons, I wish that Hobie offered the Pro Angler 360 drive kayaks in bright colors such as orange, yellow, and bright green in addition to the current two camo colors. A story: I was kayak fishing, and decided to move to a different spot about a mile and a half away. There was an obvious large red object in that area. I couldn't figure out what is was. It looked like a big traffic cone, or a very large buoy. As I got closer, I finally realized that it was another kayaker wearing a red Kokatat drysuit. From a distance, I couldn't see his kayak, but the drysuit was highly visible. I have also noticed that one foot diameter red buoys are visible from a very long distance. |
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| Author: | yaw_string [ Tue Mar 29, 2022 5:33 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How can I add a visibility stripe to a kayak? |
Look into ultra reflective "scare tape" for repelling birds and critters. Even a narrow strip should be super eye catching and conform easier. I use something similar to successfully keep birds off a railing, and it can be almost blinding to humans at times. |
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| Author: | Gunnyak [ Wed Mar 30, 2022 3:10 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How can I add a visibility stripe to a kayak? |
8" wide and color specific requirements are going to limit finding it, if anything at all. I searched reflective marine tape and here is a link. I'm sure any of these would do the trick: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=reflective+m ... 38r7eo6p_e |
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| Author: | pmmpete [ Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How can I add a visibility stripe to a kayak? |
I bought a roll of 4 inch wide racing orange T.R.U. CD-36 industrial grade duct tape from Tape Supply for $24.47, free shipping. It's pretty good quality duct tape - not as high quality as Gorilla duct tape, but better than the typical hardware store duct tape. I put a strip of the tape along the side of my 12' Pro Angler, lining up the top of the strip with the mold line along the top of the side of the kayak. |
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