keel shield or hamby light?

blkdog812 · Post by **blkdog812** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:52 pm

any one put one of these on their boat. how are they holding up.

tight lines / big fish kr

Ken C. · Post by **Ken C.** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:39 pm

They are likely both as good as the other. It is all in the prep work and application. I installed a KeelShield on my Skeeter a little over a year ago and it is holding up just fine. I went the extra step of sealing all of the edges with a bead of 3M 4200 Marine Adhesive/Sealer.

Here is a link to the step-by-step description of my installation:
Keel Shield Install

NoCAL · Post by **NoCAL** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:13 am

They are the same company now. Just pick the one that has the color you want. The service and warranty will be the same for either.

NoCAL

edited: Sorry, Hamby's is owned by KeelGuard not Keelshield. Just went and checked!

gabuelhaj · Post by **gabuelhaj** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:45 am

Which ever one you get, make sure the hull is at the proper temperature. Too cold and it won't stick. It's all in the instructions.

Also, I think the the Hamby's light is a little thicker. Plus, it looks better!

Good luck!

CW2 Tucker · Post by **CW2 Tucker** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:31 am

Not trying to hi-jack the thread...... but what do you guys who have a keel guard think of them? Are they worth it to the average angler? Any Thank Gosh stories where they paid off? Thanks.

Fish ON!!!

NoCAL · Post by **NoCAL** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:31 am

I had one on my last boat. Beached it once on rocks at Clear Lake and the Hamby's didn't protect anything. The keel hits first but then the boat rocks back and forth. I was able to get the scratches out with rubbing compound. I don't have one on my current boat. I just never beach and don't feel the need for one. They are a great peace of mind addition but if you never use it it's just not worth it to me. Plus I don't like how they look. With a black bottom boat a black guard would be ok though.

NoCAL

spotfin · Post by **spotfin** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:38 pm

I've always wanted to put one on but have been afraid due to thinking that as you put it on the keel, it will start to have kinks in it because of the curve in the keel. did you have any trouble with kinks or was it pretty easy?

Thanks.

Ken C. · Post by **Ken C.** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:25 pm

Curves on the keel are not a problem. Just make sure everything is at the proper temperature before you start. I layed mine out in the sun for awhile before I did the install just to add a little more pliability. They are designed to follow the curve of your keel. Follow the instructions to the letter and you'll be fine. In fact my Skeeter has a slight "S" curve on it from tip to tail and there has not been a problem yet.

As to the effectiveness, They won't fully protect against big rocks! I never intentionally beach my boat, but if I do I will look for a relatively smooth shore and not run it up so high that anything but the Keelshield will be touching. I mainly put mine on for protection against running across crap floating on the water.

Cooch · Post by **Cooch** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:22 am

I've had a Hamby's on my 2002 Stratos since day one, it's a great addition and I've used it often! It works extremely well here in Northern California on our drought ridden, low capacity, canyon lakes, especially at this time of year when the water is so far down and there are few or no docks at our ramps. I've beached my boat many times with the security that this deivce will protect my keel from damage. It also extends far enough down to protect it against floating debris too. I've parked it on cement boat ramps frequently, and that bumper is not gouged or damaged, my keel protected.

Will it help ya at high speeds? Nope. Will it protect the rest of yer hull is there if wave action on the beach and ya let it sit there while retrieving yer truck, nope. Does it really look cosmetically bad? I don't think so compaird to some of the wraps I've seen. I fish from above,the fish don't mind how it looks, so why should this matter. Bottom line is it give us protection during certain situations where we can take advantage of it's use when neccessary, versus that one time where we don't have it and we end up with gouges in the keel. They are not expensive and work quite well.