Refurbishing gouges/scratches/ramp rash on a kayak

[ronaultmtd]

This past week I did some mods to Lady Luck (installed the square hatch) and I was handling the bow section with my bare hands and notice my baby had some fairly deep scratches on the bottom of the hull...nothing that would leak, but still..imperfections on my baby...last summer I had bought a heat gun to make a Kydec sun shade for my Hummingbird 798 Fishfinder...humm, wonder if you could put just enough heat on the hull areas to smooth down those scratches...if you use a piece of smooth metal as a spatula and wax it before you start...like icing a cake

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The answer is a resounding yes- instead of a metal spatula is to use a piece of curved glass from a broken mason jar- the hot plastic does not stick to it- I put the heat gun on high and moved it very close to the damaged section of the hull- maybe one inch and after a few seconds moved the heat gun and smoothed the scraped area with the smooth glass in a long stroking motion- give it a few minutes and then feel it with your hand to see what it did...worked like a charm. Lady Luck is back in shape again- good as new

[Mark]

Scratches on a kayak are inevitable, even if you're very careful.

I know some don't care but I try my best to avoid them.

Last year I smoothed out a few on my Ultimate with a heat gun and a putty knife. But I didn't know glass would do the trick.

Good tip, Ron and good job on your boat.

[mchottie]

Scratches on a kayak are inevitable, even if you're very careful.

I know some don't care but I try my best to avoid them.

Last year I smoothed out a few on my Ultimate with a heat gun and a putty knife. But I didn't know glass would do the trick.

Good tip, Ron and good job on your boat.

also probably helped with the re-sale!

[ronaultmtd]

It was really easy to do once I figured how long to heat the hull with the heat gun to get the rough plastic melted without overdoing it and softening up the hull- the curved glass fit my thumb perfectly, making the melted tops of the scratches fill the valley of the scratch...it was just dumb luck I found the broken glass when I was looking for a putty knife- I thought...humm this might do the trick better...

[baitball]

It was really easy to do once I figured how long to heat the hull with the heat gun to get the rough plastic melted without overdoing it and softening up the hull- the curved glass fit my thumb perfectly, making the melted tops of the scratches fill the valley of the scratch...it was just dumb luck I found the broken glass when I was looking for a putty knife- I thought...humm this might do the trick better...

Good tip Ron! I would've never thought to use a piece of mason jar glass - go figure.

[ronaultmtd]

Rigging a kayak, refurbishing, maintaining, repairs and upkeep are key to success on the water...I give the Lady Luck at least 50% of the success of catching fish...the boat is customized for me and what I want in a kayak for my way of fishing...and everyone is different...don’t get me wrong- the rod, line, reel, lure may be the tip of the spear, but the vehicle that got you there, the rigging on the boat, the rod holders, the capabilities and dependability of the electronics, the wiring, the battery holder, the hatches, the scupper cart, the pickup truck kayak rack...nothing spoils a fishing trip faster than an equipment failure due to neglect...

[reddogge]

Just thinking but maybe a teflon putty knife would work too.

[Slobber Bob]

Yes fairly easy to do and effective. I’ve repaired a few holes in my boat with a heat gun, putty knife, and spare hunks of kayak plastic I kept from modifications. I know you used glass for smoothing your scratches out, but the other option is to just heat up the putty knife real hot and glide it over the kayak.