We are sorry to hear about your experience. We pride ourselves on our premium products and excellent customer service. We do have a lifetime warranty on the KeelGuard (the product is warrantied). It's very unusual that the actual product fails or is defective. Installation is where issues can arise. By all means, we are not accusing anyone of incorrect installation. However, the prep is very crucial and steps need to be followed. Instructions are included in all packaging and listed on our website
https://keelguard.com/wp-content/the...stallation.pdf. If the four steps (etch-clean-prime-apply) are followed, there should not be any issues with bond.
As you know aluminum boats usually have a raised, welded keel protector and/or raised rivets. The 3M-Pressure Sensitive adhesive has no problem adhering to aluminum/tin. If a KeelGuard is applied over a welded keel/rivets that protrude from the hull surface more than 1/8" (roughly), the bond can be compromised. Although, we've seen situations where the KeelGuard does easily conform over welds/rivets and has achieved a "full surface bond." The acrylic foam core between the guard itself and the adhesives is what allows this to happen. If your welded keel protector protrudes more than that estimated 1/8" or so, air pockets may form between the gaps of the hull and tops of the welds/rivets. In this example it's safe to assume that your full surface bond would not be present, creating issues with strength.
Texoma, thank you for bringing up saltwater use. We have numbers of customers who use our products in saltwater activities (bay boats, flats, center consoles, leisure, rec, etc). Again, as long as prep/placement is done correctly, there should not be any issues. If you have experienced something we would love to address it. We take care of all our customers and want you to be happy. Please do not hesitate calling our customer service team at (801) 334-5335 for any questions or concerns. Thank you for creating this thread and addressing your problem.