Hi,

I have quite a fragile, well defined edge on my carbon-kevlar kayak that I need to repair but it seems more fragile than necessary so I'm looking to make some modifications from the original construction to improve the impact resistance of the area.

I've attached a photo showing the damage and geometry (sorry, the camera doesn't seem to have focused on the edge so the damaged isn't in focus but hopefully you can see enough).

Instead of just patching with some more Carbon-Aramid 188g weave (which I believe it what the original construction is), I was considering patching the entire edge with 300g Aramid cloth, overlapping the corner by about an inch either side, and then adding a Heavyweight 400g Kevlar Flat Braid over the edge to add further abrasion resistance. Would you consider this a reasonable plan? Also, will I be able to maintain the geometry of the edge doing this? I want to improve the damage resistance of the boat and reduce the  need to keep adding patches (which will add weight and affect the bow/stern balance) but also don't want the modification to be unnecessarily heavy either.

Also, I've heard that some composite kayak manufacturers have started using a flexible resin on carbon or aramid braids to improve impact resistance. Would you recommend using a flexible resin like EF80 Flexible Epoxy Resin if using a Kevlar Flat Braid over the edge? I'm currently using Epoxy Rapid Repair Resin.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,
Nick