If you have found an inadvertent dint or ding in the hull of your kayak don’t panic – there are several ways you can go about smoothing out a ding in your Hobie kayak. We’ve got a few suggestions on how to go about doing it.
Method 1: Boiling water
Hobie have posted an insightful video showing how to go about removing a large ding from the side of the hull using boiling water and gravity. This is one of the simplest methods for removing a ding
Method 2: Compression
This method is another take on the example shown in the video. It requires the use of two flat boards (slightly wider than the width of the hull) and a tie-down strap. Lie the tie down strap out flat underneath the hull (directly under the effected area) and place one of the boards over the strap. Then heat up the effected area carefully with a heat gun or boiling water. When the area is suitably warmed up then place the second board on the top of the hull over the effected area. Then wrap the tie down strap over the top of the board and pull it tight enough to push the ding outwards. Leave the strap in place at least long enough to for the plastic to cool down. For deeper dings leave it in place for at least an hour.
Method 3: Suction cup
A heavy duty suction cup can be effective at pulling out dings from a hull. Heat up the surface area of the ding but be careful if using a heat gun – it is possible to melt the plastic if you let it get too hot. The safest way of doing this is to poor hot water over the ding, and or drape a wet hot shammy towel over the effected area for several minutes. Then apply the suction cup and pull on it so that the ding inverts outwards. Hold it in this position while the warm plastic cools. You can speed up the cooling process by pouring cold water over the area while pulling the suction cup outwards
Method 4: If all else fails, contact your local Hobie kayak dealer
