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cajun catter.
Hey guys we are facing a severe drought in NW Louisiana and most docks are useless right now.So my question is how long can I expect a keel shield to last?I know Hambys are alot better but may not have the cash for one.Also can i see some pics of a white hull and black keel shield…..Thanks in advanceLast edited by AndyYerger on October 7th, 2011, 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
I bought a keel shield from Cabelas and installed it myself on my Sabre. Ive had the boat since 1999. I dont know if there is any damage underneath the shield from beaching it but it all looks ok and I have been beaching it on ramps quite often. It has not come loose and still looks good. Now Im not talking about pulling up on the ramp and hitting the throttle and pulling up to the point that you would on a mud bank. It seems to me that the rubber holds the boat just fine when I just ease up onto the ramp a little bit. When I get out, Ill lift the bow a little bit and pull it forward if I am having to go park the truck. If I am just picking somebody up then I just ease up on the ramp. No problems as far as I know. We all have to think about saving money these days. Like you said, the Hambys is a much more durable product, but in my opinion you can use the keel shield if you dont ram it up on the ramp.Jim EbarbMany, LA (Toledo Bend Lake)2004 Cougar/ 225 OptimaxHumminbird Helix 12 Chirp SI on BalzOut Mount at bowLowrance HDS 7 at bowHumminbird Helix 12 Mega SI on Ram Mount at ConsoleLowrance HDS 8 in dash at console
and im a homeboy speaking from experience. got a brand new sabre in 2002. added a bassproshop-purchased keelguard (and had it installed by a fiberglass shop for $100) late that same year. everything was fine for about five years, until, on a wavy toledo bend, i came down on a stump and a chunk the size of a quarter was torn from the keelguard. my fiberglass is still fine, but the keelguard has a hole in it clear to the glass right about the same place that the keel hits when beaching the boat. ive made due with some silicone for the past several years, but finally bought a hamby on ebay at a good price. its gonna cost me another $225 to install the new hamby at a reputable glass shop thats familiar with installing them (the boat is actually hung over night in straps to set the glue on the keel protector). however, its gonna cost me another $100 to REMOVE the old keelguard (and from the few ive grumbled to about it, theyve since convinced me its actually a bargain at that price, as it apparently is a bugger of a task.)to keelguards (and my original installers) credit, the rest of the guard is working like a champ, and the glue has held very nicely. that said, i dont think the stump would have torn the hamby, had it been installed instead. holding an uninstalled hamby in my hand was all it took to convince me of that fact. its just a much more solid piece of rubber/plastic/orwhateveritismadeof. i briefly considered replacing with another keelguard because i thought the “lifetime” warranty would replace the now-defective one; but the “lifetime” is apparently the lifetime of a mayfly, and the 100% guarantee only covers about half the replacement cost. since it was going to cost me more money, anyway, i decided to do it right this time around. long story short, i would have actually saved money if i had just gotten the hamby installed at the factory for the $600 they wanted back then, and avoided any later installation headaches and warranty frustrations. ( ironically, either way i would have ended up with a hamby on my sabres keel nearly ten years later, if i had just gotten the thing put on at the factory in the first place.)….doh that what seems less expensive, may sometimes merely be cheaper. good luck either way…we may need some wheels installed on the keels if our lakes keep disappearing. the bend has boat lanes with less than a foot of water in them now…and thats IF you can even launch.Last edited by cajun catter on October 7th, 2011, 11:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The Keel Sheild will work fine for light duty and as pointed out a Hambu is much better.cajun cutter, soak that Keel Guard down with WD 40 and it may pop loose in a few days. You can also use an enamel thinner to cut the glue some. BCB
Thanks guys for all the input.I will do some checking and see if we have any dealers that have experience installing keel guards.
very knowledgeable on products, and i believe theyre even an authorized dealer for hamby.
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