Help! I left my rotomolded rec kayak on the car top rack overnight and into the next day. Had it strapped down too tight on a sunny day and now I have a nice flattened spot across the bottom.
Any ideas on whether/how I can repair it?
Current Designs Kestrel 120
Same way you dented it. Think about it.
– Last Updated: Jun-18-07 4:09 PM EST –
Easy:
Unstrap it and take off rack.
Leave it in the sun to get nice and toasty.
Push out the dents.
Cool the hull and take it out of the sun to a noce shady place.
Beach balls and other blow up things are great to put inside hulls to help provide even, gentle push. Be easy on the pressure. If you are going to use an inter tube be careful as REAL easy to over do the pressure. Then you will be dealing with a bulge instead of a dent.
>:^)
Mick
patience
Just flip it upside and wait 
And in the
future be sure to LOOSEN your straps if leaving your boat on the rack for an extended period, just be sure to tighten them again before you drive away
boiling water
I haven’t tried it but read that if you pore boiling water on the inside where the dents are will help.
un-dent
A friend of mine (genius really) posted the answer to this question. Put it on the sand & fill it with water slowly. The sand will support the Yak & will eventually reform it to original shape.
May not work. Some heat is usually
needed. I dented my Necky when I first brought it home, in spite of trying to support it properly with foam thinies.
So I cut a minicell foam slab the shape to push the dented bottom where it needed to go, and set it out in the hot summer sun. It cooled overnight, and when I pulled the foam out, the bottom stayed where it belonged.
Too old to worry about it
I must be really old. My first rotomolded boat was a Hydra Centaur C-1 which I bought in the early 80’s. Over the years that boat has had a zillion different dents and bulges from being stored, carried, pried on, etc. I never worried about a single one. Once on the water it would return to it’s old self, anxious to float the river yet anticipating it’s next adventure piled under three other boats in the garage, looking for a new shape. If someone suggested removing the pillars, folding it in half, putting in the trunk and putting it back together at the river, I’d probably go for it.
Thanks for suggestions
I appreciate all the input. If the weather cooperates this weekend, we’ll try the solar approach.
Thanks again.
May Not Work #2
– Last Updated: Jun-19-07 12:23 PM EST –
Sand is not as flowable as some people tend to think. The pressure exerted by the hull of a boat resting on sand will not in most cases cause the sand to flow enough to conform to that hull. I work with foundation soils and deal with stuff like this, but the best illustration I can give you is a time when I tried to re-level a slab of sidewalk which had settled along with the backfill of the utility trench the sidewalk crossed. After jacking up the concrete slab, filling beneath it with sand, and letting the slab back down, I discovered that there were a three or four little high spots in the sand fill, each no bigger than 6 inches across, holding up the whole slab. I figured I could just back a heavy truck over it to push it down, but that wouldn't do it (the truck had about 6 tons on the rear axle. Knowing what I do know, I consider myself lucky that the slab didn't break).
To make this work, you'd have to form the sand yourself, not rely on the weight of the boat + water. Even if it would work, the sand would only form to the dented shape of the boat, not the dentless shape that you are hoping for.
It’s been my experience that a newer
rotomold is less likely to pop-out than a older one. Perhaps the material gets thinner with use and age and becomes more “popable”
same problem
I have the same problem, the kayak I just purchased had apparently not been stored correctly (on its side or on its end) so there is a nice crease in the bottom. I boiled some water last night and and placed a folded up towel above the crease and slowly poured the very hot water onto the towel and then placed a few bricks on top of the towel to provide additional pressure the get the crease out. Note that the kayak is being supported by some foam car top carriers to keep it off the gorund and level. I left the water in it overnight to cool and give it time to “set” and will check it on my lunch. I’ll let you know how it worked.
worked well
Went home and took out the wet towel and bricks, dumped out the water and it appears to be minus the nasty looking crease on the bottom, so I would definately try the boiling hot water poured onto a folded bath towel. Just be careful with the hot water and steam from it.