So….i picked up a couple old plastic kayaks the other day- an Old Town Otter and a Necky Kyook. They both need some work but do not leak at all. I’m struggling with how to take the huge deformation out of the hull of the Necky. Looks like a fix was attempted because I see some heat damage along one edge . I’m thinking about building an inner framework to ‘pop’ and hold the hull back into shape, but I’m wondering how much heat is necessary to bring it back to shape permanently?
This will be a ‘beater’ kayak, so I’m not too concerned about aesthetics, just want to make it track straight. Thoughts?
Hard to tell from the photos, but is there a gouge or other damage inside the deformed area?
Assuming no major damage/gouges, to remove much of the deformation is as simple as heat. Polyethylene plastic likes to return to its original molded form. So leaving it out in the sun on a warm summer day, or speeding it up by putting some hot water in it (not boiling - like hot tap temperature), and much of the deformation will come out. Avoid strapping down tight on a rack or the like to avoid future indentations.
Note - the deformation is mostly cosmetic. The boats will likely work just fine as is.
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Search oil canning for canoes or kayaks. There are dozens of sites that purport to have a fix and multiple methods. Can oil canning be undone? The answer is maybe. It depends on the exact composition of the hull, the severity of the deformation, how long it has been present, and the method used to try and correct it.
Poly hulls are nearly indestructible but oil canning is one of the ways that they can be damaged. The other is abrasion, usually cause by holding onto the front toggle and dragging it across a paved parking lot.
Oil canning will not affect the watertight integrity of the hull, but may affect performance if severe enough.
Oil canning should never happen if the canoe or kayak is transported and stored correctly.
I have repaired 3 that were far worse than that one and what I did was to use concreate blocks and cord wood to make a set of braces on the inside. The blocks provide a firm base for the wood. I use a chainsaw to cut the wood to correct size making the wood blocks fit tight against the blocks or upper deck to “jack” the dents out to a flush surface, and then use an outdoor camp gas stove to boil 10-15 gallons of water. I poured the water into the kayak to surround the area around the bracing, and also use a paint stripper heat gun from the outside to soften the plastic so it returned to the original form. By using wood wedges on the inside I was able to brace the softened plastic downward against the hard plastic deck, and push out the dents to factory shape. It’s time consuming but worth the efforts. I do a “dry run” with all bracing, wood blocks and wedges first ---- so I know exactly how all the shoring needs to go before I heat the water and get out the heat gun. The set-up is where nearly all the time is eaten up. The actual repair time is about 5 minutes. Once it’s where you want it just walk away and let things cool down over about 2 hours. Remove the bracing and the hull is like new, (or so close you don’t notice anything wrong.)
Not everyone has such tools, but almost everyone knows someone who does, so by making calls and planning correctly you can get a dented kayak back to new condition in a 1/2 day.
Note: Cord wood is WAY cheaper to use then lumber so a chain saw and fire wood are better to use then store bough lumber. And a week after the wood dries out it’s still good for the fire place of stove.
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Thank you for the ideas!
Szihn- it happens that I have LOTS of firewood stacked on my property, so I’ll probably try your bracing/ hot water/ heat gun process.
Rstevens- I’m a member of the CPA but haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet you. I usually hang with the Pirates of the North.