need help repairing a 2 inch hole?

I got a GREAT deal on a used Hobie Tandem.
the only thing that I could find wrong was the guy put a 2 inch drain plug on the very bottom of the yak.
It hangs down about a half inch below the hull. I know it's just a matter of time before it gets ripped off.

My plain:
I want to add an hatch, so when I cut the hole for the hatch I was going to use the cutout as the patch.
Trim a piece of the cutout to fit the plugs hole.
take some sort of heat gun and melt the two pieces back together.
I'm sure I would need to add some slivers from the cutout to help fill in the gap.

one other idea was to melt (slowly) some of the cutout and pour it into the hole. I was thinking of using a pice of sheet metal clamped in place to keep it from running out. then remove the sheet metal before it cools to much.

I know both options will need some sort of sanding/buffing to clean it up.
If this was on the top side I would go for it no questions asked.
but being on the bottom I think it's best to ask first.

If anyone has any other suggestions I'm all ears.

thanks for any help
Bryan

I think melting/patching a 2" hole there is a bad idea. The hull may become brittle around that area and any impact may crack it. I'd take it to a professional and ask their opinion before buying/doing anything. I'd also consult with someone about adding a hatch to the kayak. Drilling holes to a kayak is not a good idea. My $0.02.

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bryanj58:
If it were me I would cut a round plug from your extra material left over from adding the hatch, chamfer the edges. I would then order the Kayak repair iron and material kit from Hobie, then carefully fill around the bead from the bottom up layer after layer (like weld beads). On the inside of the hull I would continue building up around and over the repair about 3/8 inch wide when your done and humped up on the inside about 3/16 high. Be very careful not to let the area around the welding overheat (basically take your time). I would then take a 5 inch diameter piece of PE (something like a cutting board) and dope a thick layer of silicone (probably half a tube) over the patch area then press the PE plate over the whole works inside the hull and let it dry. The PE plate protects the repaired area from bending and flexing inder normal conditions. Plus if the seam leaks water, the silicone will contain the leak. It might be ugly from the inside, but you will only see the 2 inch dia ring where the repair was made from the outside. Everything should match colorwise. Of course can you probably skip the plate on the inside, but keep in mind it will always be weaker than the original hull in that area. At least thats the way I would approach it.
If it continues to be a problem, I believe Hobie has can supply replacement hulls for out of warranty boats for a reasonable price plus shipping (much less than a whole new boat). I have a friend who did that with his AI and I think his was around $500 plus shipping (but don't quote me).
Hope this helps
Bob

Fusioneng

Thanks for the post.
Thats kinda what I have in mind.

Thanks again
Bryan