Greetings, intro, and dilemma.

Hello! I don't believe I've properly introduced myself but I have been lurking here for a few months now. I am a fly-fisherman with terminal tendencies who has been interested in Kayak fishing for some time. This is a cool site and I appreciate it being here for me when I have questions (hopefully soon I'll be able to post pics and get out into the water). I'm from the Columbia Gorge (a Hootervillian) and will be taking it out to fish the Columbia, local lakes, the ocean and Baja when I can get there.

I've done my studying (listening, reading, etc.) and finally purchased a used Cobra Fish and Dive. It has a little bit of buckling under the hull that was probably done from strapping it over a Prius with some blankets under it for cushioning (it was the owner - not me). Do any of you know a link of where I can read about correcting that?

Thank you again for any advice you can give. I do appreciate it.

True

Hello True - Welcome to the forum.  There are a couple of guys here who might be able to help you with your kayak.  I think Alkasazi had done some plastic welding and such.  Wish I could help but I'm new to this and still recovering from the holes I recently drilled to install my ff.  Good luck with the boat -

Alan

Hello True, welcome to the forum.  Glad to see another fly fisherman here! 

If the damage to your kayak isn't too sever (as in no creases) sometimes a little heat will pop it back in to shape.  My Necky use to do this after sitting in the truck for a few days.  I could just invert it in the sunshine for a few hours and it would take on its original shape.  Given the forecast and lack of sunshine in the immediate future, maybe a hair dryer would do the trick.

Your gonna love fly fishing out of your kayak!  Enjoy.

Yup.  Leave it out in the warmth of the sun for a day.  More often than not, that does the trick.  I would go easy on it and not reach for the hair dryer right away.

From a Cobra FAQ.

I tied my kayak down on my roof rack really tight and now I have a dent in the bottom.  Is there any way to correct this?
If the dent won't push out easily, leave the kayak in the sun with a black trash bag over the area. This should heat and soften the plastic to the point that you can easily push the dent out of the hull.

Welcome True!!!

-Allen

Thank you, amb, polepole, and stratocaster! I was thinking about expanding the hull a little with some wedges to get it to its original shape. I love to learn how to weld plastic. I may have to check some old threads. As I was washing it I noticed some cuts in the edges of the plastic. I might have to go over those one day.

Again, thanks for your help and well-wishes.

True

"Kayak-worship... is it wrong?"

Welcome aboard True!

I have an older F'n'D also.  The bottom of that yak is really warped and mis-shapen.  Even the hot sun hasn't flexed it back.  It hasn't made an appreciable difference in how it paddles though (and that yak has some major mojo).
I wouldn't worry about the surface scratches unless you're taking on water.  It's just character and if you're using it right, you'll probably put a few more on her. 

-Mark-

welcome true.

PNW said he ironed his when it got a depression in it. Put a towel on it and iron it like you were pressing your favorite suit. Maybe he'll chime in if i'm way off base.. Something else to try anyway, if the other suggestions don't work.

I'm about to store it in the garage (it's half in the living room and half way in the kitchen right now - my wife still loves me so I'm good for another 48 before she asks again) and I'm going to push out the dent with a couple of wood blocks wrapped in towels.

I also noticed that there's a little bit of that polyethylene chewed off on the bottom - about an inch or so. I might need to remold that a bit too. I've contacted Cobra Kayaks about extra plastic rods or bars but no one's said anything yet. I'm going to put in another hatch soon so I'll have a back up supply of material but only as much as a 6" hole can give me. Anyone know of a good supplier?

Thank you all again.

True

Where the heck is Hooterville? Is it near Boonieville, where I live? All kidding aside, I'm here in Snowden and do a lot of fishing between Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood and Beacon Rock east, most of time in the Hood River/White Salmon area. Maybe we can do some fishing sometime.
You can use a plastic welder to fix up your boat, try Googling it and see if you can get a deal on one. I think there was a thread on the Hobie Kayak Forum about the plastic welding as well as the dent. As far as the dent goes, I would agree with the other guys; leave it out in the sun for a couple days, that should do the trick. If it's real bad, fill the hull up with water, then leave it in the sun. Wait till it gets a little warmer though.

Hey, ronbro!

Yeah, Hooterville's between Mosier and Wyeth. I thought about getting a soldering gun for the plastic work. I'm more concerned about the type of plastic I'll need to re-mold the bottom of the hull. Thanks for the "filling the hull with water" idea too.

We'll definitely have to get out to fish when I get everything in order. Thanks again!

True

Yup.  Leave it out in the warmth of the sun for a day. 

Allen, you've forgotten where we live already? Only time I've seen the sun this winter is when I went to the beach. In Mexico.

True, welcome aboard. Like everyone else said, I wouldn't worry much about the dents and scratches. They happen, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to keep up. I've paddled boats in all sorts of beat-up conditions, and it's really rare to notice a performance difference. You can also do more damage than good on the repair attempts. Unless you're seeing white stress cracks or have a gouge all the way through, I probably wouldn't worry much about it. If you want, post some pics & we can give you a better idea of what you might want to do.

Where in HR are you? I live in Stevenson, but work up in the Heights.

Brian

Brian, I'm just down the street from the Aquatic Center. I don't see any cracks and the few scratches there are aren't too deep. There are one or two though that worry me. You must work across from the recycling center. I stopped by once a few months ago to check out a couple of Ocean Kayaks. I was thinking about a recycled Scrambler. They didn't have one at the time. I also stopped by the Shed (the Kayak Shed and not the one on the Heights) and checked out the Hobies. Those are nice yaks too. I'll have to stop by and introduce myself next time. Thanks for your advice.

True

Hooterville's between Mosier and Wyeth.

Nice area. I lived in the Mosier hills near the old RV Park for about a year and a half. Plenty of good fishing around.

The plastic welder dealio is a system that is designed for the type of repairs you're talking about, a step up from a soldering gun.

I wouldn't worry much about the dents and scratches. They happen, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to keep up. I've paddled boats in all sorts of beat-up conditions, and it's really rare to notice a performance difference. You can also do more damage than good on the repair attempts. Unless you're seeing white stress cracks or have a gouge all the way through, I probably wouldn't worry much about it. If you want, post some pics & we can give you a better idea of what you might want to do.

What that guy said.

Z

I wouldn't worry much about the dents and scratches. They happen, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to keep up. I've paddled boats in all sorts of beat-up conditions, and it's really rare to notice a performance difference. You can also do more damage than good on the repair attempts. Unless you're seeing white stress cracks or have a gouge all the way through, I probably wouldn't worry much about it. If you want, post some pics & we can give you a better idea of what you might want to do.

What that guy said.

Z

yep what they said,

Take it from someone who belongs to the Marcelus Wallace school of kayak repair and believes anything can be fixed with a blow torch and pair of pliers. Don't get medieval with it.







and Welcome!