Repairs and our process
September is the time when the Kayaks, Ocean Skis, Paddles and associated gear comes out of the storage for the spring. Although not that common, sometimes the response is something like "I forgot about that crack from last season" and a rush of dread sweeps across the mind of the weekend warrior resulting in either panic or procrastination.
So here's a reminder, firstly to book it in for repair, secondly, it doesn't have to hurt as much as you think and here's why.
Hit the button in the heading banner.
At Flow we have capabilities to repair kayaks, surf skis and paddles to a high level of finish, if not as good as new. Having multiple, experienced composite staff and repairers, some with 20-30 years experience building everything from racing yachts to kayaks (obviously), there's not much we can't do.
The down side of repairs to a high standard and a great finish is that they take time.
Making the repair structurally strong, sealed and gel coated is no problem, this will usually take a few hours over a couple of days depending on the depth of the damage. It's the aesthetic finish that takes time.
When it comes to repairs, we like to give control to the customer, after all, it's your equipment, wallet and time out that’s affected and afterwards your joy and willingness to use it post repair.
So here's how Flow Kayaks looks after repairs to kayaks, skis and paddles of all brands and models. As long as they're classified as composite (fibreglass, kevlar, carbon etc):
The Repair Process
Book in a time to come to Flow's facility in Christchurch or send through photos (we'll ask to see it if necessary though).
One of our experienced staff will meet you and discuss the options.
We will then send you an email of those options with an estimate and make recommendations based on the value added to the boat vs the value of the boat in it's repaired condition. An example of what we'll communicate back goes something like this
"We recommend repairing the boat to the best condition and we estimate it to be $X."
Or
"We recommend repairing the boat to the best condition and we estimate it to be $X to a strong and patched level. Alternatively, for approximately $X we can get the best finish possible with a spending cap of say $450 for maximum return on investment in the kayaks condition".
4. As the customer you then give us instructions on what you'd like to do. The previous point is the key component in this process.
5. We may also recommend making an insurance claim and can provide damage assessments to your insurer. For this we require a contact email address and a claim number. There is an additional fee for this service as we spend sometimes 2 or more hours preparing the report and communicating with the insurer. The fee is usually an item detailed in the claim and of no cost to the customer if it’s covered. We will discuss the likelihood of cover and whether its worth it depending on excess amounts.
How much will it cost?
A repair that restores the product to “like new” could be “pricey” because it takes time and careful attention to detail. On the other hand, you might just be in “survival mode" where we make the boat structurally strong, sealed up and protected from further damage”.
As an example, a nose chip where it's just gel coat missing is a quick job starting from $40 if its just small.
How long will it take?
The nose chip above on a nice summers day is drop off in the morning and collect in the afternoon or next day.
80% of repairs we book in on a Monday and if dropped off on time are ready within the same week.
When can I expect my repair to be done?
Having multiple experienced composite staff and repairers limits wait time considerably,, we usually get to repairs within a few days to 2-3 weeks. Then it just depends on the instructions you give us.
If you have anymore questions, or a friend that needs to hear this, please forward the link on or book in an a time to chat with us here