dent removal - defect

Hi all,

I recently purchased a demo 2018 Revolution 13. I went into it knowing that there were some possible defects in the kayak, but the salesperson assured it was 100% functional. Upon taking delivery, I noticed what looked like storage indentation. No problem I figured, as I have a heat gun and have fixed dents in other kayaks using the boiling water method.

The problem with this particular kayak is that when I applied heat with the boiling water technique, no amount of coercion would get it back to shape. Hull pressurizing or working it like the video in the FAQ shows. Then I noticed inside the hull, that there seems to have been some sanding/machining of some thick plastic exactly where the dent is, and that's when it occurred to me that this might be a bad pull from the molds and the reason why it was stamped "DEMO".

Anyone have luck fixing these type of defects? I tried wedging a sort of jack inside the hull to press into the dent while I applied heat to the outside surface. After letting it cool, It worked somewhat. However, after sitting in the sun for an hour I noticed it slowly went back to its dented shape.

Any hope for me in working out this defect or am I just going to have to live with it?

Thanks!
Adrian

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2018 demo slate blue Revolution 13

Just inside the hatch? That is a bit of excess material that commonly falls of the vent tube during molding. They sand some off if it is a lot. Not a defect and some distortion on the hull bottom in that area is very typical due to shrinking around the drive well and inserts there.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Thanks. Yes, its just inside the hatch. Is it really typical? It seems like about 1/2" x 12" wide indentation across the bottom the center as well as the left pontoon. Perhaps it just shrank a lot on this particular pull and deemed a demo?

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2018 demo slate blue Revolution 13

Yes, 2nds are blems we make into DEMOs when possible and sold at a discount to dealers. Sounds like a ripple from shrinkage.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt,

Because the deformation is due to shrinkage and seems to default to this shape, what do you think about reinforcement through the use of fiberglass fabric and WestSystems GFlex 650? My plan would be to manipulate the deformation through the use of a jackscrew to push out the dent, as well as the use of boiling water. Then once cooled, I would clean the area under the hatch and apply a few layers of fiberglass fabric and the GFlex epoxy. While this cures, I'd reinstall the jackscrew to make sure the epoxy's exothermic reaction won't resettle the deformation back into place. Is this a sound plan? I'm trying my best to fix this because the deformation affects the amount of space I have right below the center hatch.

Thanks
Adrian

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2018 demo slate blue Revolution 13