Hobie Lynx Hull Repair and Protection (plz. read update in description)

[@michaelpanno]

Good video! I'm about to do the same thing with this Flex Seal tape I bought at work, it looks like it's basically the same thing as the waterproof gorilla tape you used except I bought clear cause I was planning on just cutting it into strips and just covering the handful of deep scratches I have mostly from pulling my kayak off the roof of my car with the hillbilly roof rack I built that has some sharp edges and cut into my hull before I realized how to avoid it.

[@GirlGoneFishing]

Thanks, Michael! Good luck with your taping and I hope to see you out on the water this year! :)

[@4shorefishing779]

I ended up using keel guard on my lynx but it does add weight. This looks like a great alternative!

[@GirlGoneFishing]

Yeah, I really don’t want to have to lift much more weight… I mean, I could if I had to, but would much rather keep it lighter! The emergency patches I did last summer with that T-Rex waterproof tape held up great (were actually almost impossible to remove!), but this Gorilla Waterproof tape was a lot less expensive and looked like a similar product, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m interested to see if I feel a difference in water drag with the tape over so much of the hull now.

[@melvinmariott8609]

That is good to know about right there. Might need that for mine this season.

[@thomaspotts47]

Very cool idea I have a couple spots on my sportsman I could do the same thing to . Very cool ! I'll be heading over to Blue Ash soon to check out the shop as well ! Thanks Melissa

[@GirlGoneFishing]

Glad it helped! :)

[@lowlifeangler]

Regular gorilla tape rips off too easy in the water and causes drag when paddle. Waterproof tape was a good idea. I was thinking trying HVAC silver tape. Wondering that interferes with the transducer. That tape works awesome on the cardboard sleds at Mad River Mt.

[@GirlGoneFishing]

I patched on the road with T-Rex waterproof tape last year, and it was almost impossible to get off. So I believe this waterproof Gorilla tape (which looked very similar but was less expensive) will last as well. But we’ll see!

[@maxcole3930]

Dang 20°!? It's in 60's down here. Already had cut grass couple times. I do miss my family & fiends from Cincy but not the cold. Haven't seen that waterproof gorilla tape. Interested to see how it holds up to concrete & rock

[@freshsaltyfries5078]

I finally got the lynx taking it out tomorrow see how it goes

[@GirlGoneFishing]

Congrats! I hope you love it as much as I do!

[@freshsaltyfries5078]

It looks much better great work all

[@GirlGoneFishing]

Thanks!

[@Reepicheep4u]

You really put some milage on that boat. I'd love to see you keep it to find out how long it lasts with heavy use. I used a product called KeelEazy on my Lynx with great results. It's much tougher and more permanent. I wouldn't want a Lynx without it.

[@GirlGoneFishing]

That KeelEazy looks great! Seems similar to what I used but maybe a little less rubbery on the surface. I’ll have to look into it as an option for the next off-season rework in case my idea this year fails!

[@RadReelingFishing]

I'm on the fence about getting one of these. They are $3300 plus tax in my area. To think I might have to put gorilla tape on the hull after paying so much for a vessel really concerns me. For me the idea of it being a very versatile kayak and lightweight is appealing, but the price for something that is so fragile, wow, I just don't know. Maybe someone soon will put a better alternative kayak on the market for a reasonable price.

[@GirlGoneFishing]

Look up how a Lynx is made…foam core, thin fiberglass layer, plastic skin overlayer. That is what makes it 47 pounds but still stable, agile, and comfortable. So basically you don’t want to ram the fiberglass into something like a rock, and the thin skin on the outside will get scratched up dragging on concrete unless you protect it. This is my 4th tournament season with a Lynx and I’ve had zero major issues but have epoxied a few dings each off season. The tape was an experiment that didn’t work as well as I had hoped. My opinion is this Lynx is amazing and awesome and I am so glad they came out just as I was getting serious about kayak fishing. If you want a kayak you can beat on rocks get something else. But for me the Lynx is one of the coolest boats ever made.

[@RadReelingFishing]

@@GirlGoneFishing Thanks for sharing your experience, greatly appreciated.

[@denniss3980]

I guess for new Lynx buyers, this would be the smart thing to do before ever hitting the water. At now $3300 for a new Lynx, I think it is not asking too much for Hobie to throw in a case of Gorilla Tape

[@GirlGoneFishing]

I'm not sure this waterproof Gorilla Tape is the perfect answer... it seems to puncture pretty easily and it has made it impossible to drag the kayak on concrete, which makes launching at boat ramps very difficult. I think I will look for something less rubbery for what I try next year.

[@S1avk0]

Hi Melissa... how is it holding up so far this season. My next TX isnt for a month so I'm thinking of re-doing my patch jobs. Is the tape worth it or too much of a mess?

[@GirlGoneFishing]

I would not recommend using that Waterproof Gorilla Tape that I used this last time. It grips every surface (like boat ramps and my roof rack) so it is almost impossible now for me to drag the kayak even a little on boat ramps. I had meant to buy the Waterproof T-Rex tape but I got the Gorilla tape by accident and just went with it, but I believe the Gorilla tape is more rubbery and that is the issue. When I put it on I planned to leave it on forever, but now I am going to have to remove it all in the off season again (like the regular Gorilla tape I tried last year and took off this past winter), and taking it off is going to be really difficult. If you read through the comments on this video people have some great suggestions for hull protection that are a little heavier but would probably work better. I rejected those materials in my research because weight is my biggest issue, but one might work for someone else. I think the key with the tape (and I'd pick T-Rex Waterproof for the spot patches) is going back to just doing spot patches with it (which works great until you get a chance to mix up an epoxy patch), I don't know that covering the whole hull in tape really did any good anyway, I had rocks and trees poke right through the Gorilla Tape. I think this off season I will try either T-Rex Waterproof Tape just on the "hot spots" that rub on the ground, or maybe look into using Kydex for those spots.

[@S1avk0]

@@GirlGoneFishing thanks for all of the info...I used the stuff that Ozzie pollit recommended and works pretty well but that grips things as well but offers more protection.

[@GirlGoneFishing]

@@S1avk0 Yeah I’ve chatted with him about it, he does some cool things with his Lynx!

[@dustinhorn9536]

Just saw your video on repair - how has the tape held up ? Did you notice any added drag on the Lynx ?

[@GirlGoneFishing]

The tape was great for protection but had one serious drawback for what I do... it gripped concrete, like serious no-slid grip, which made trying to launch at concrete boat ramps a real challenge! When I got the tape I had meant to buy Waterproof T-Rex tape, but the store had this Waterproof Gorilla Tape in the wrong bin and I didn't even look at it like an dummy when I bought it. Then I figured it should be about the same, but the surface texture of the Gorilla is much more rubbery. Oh the other hand, if you ever need to make anything non-slip on concrete now you know the secret! 🤣

[@dustinhorn9536]

@@GirlGoneFishing Ty

[@todddavidson5012]

How about using the clear instead of the black is there a reason for going with the black?

[@GirlGoneFishing]

I could only find clear in the regular version, not the waterproof version. I see clear waterproof on the Gorilla Glue website, but I didn’t plan ahead enough to have time for shipping.

[@todddavidson5012]

@@GirlGoneFishing I am looking at botyl tape not decided yet. I think that’s how you spell it I have some kydex sheets to make my own keel guard and transom guards but that tape is the answer in between

[@GirlGoneFishing]

@@todddavidson5012 Interesting, I had to google butyl tape, and my Gorilla Waterproof and T-Rex Waterproof tape came up in the results. It appears butyl tape is a little more “caulky” and malleable than what I used, better for replacing caulk to seal around a window. But it may end up being perfect for you, I look forward to seeing your results! We Lynx lovers are all figuring this out together!

[@lifeoutdoors2day357]

Did you put holes in it from normal use

[@GirlGoneFishing]

Well, I guess you have to define “normal use”. My first hole 2 years ago was when I got “treed”, or stuck on a submerged pointy tree branch, which punctured the hull. It was easily patched with epoxy. Then last year I did the most damage by fishing next to a rocky wall where the waves were pushing my kayak into the rocks… that caused a few dings along that side that you see in the video. Patched them with epoxy and won’t let the boat bang into rocks any more! But I have used that for long days of pre-fishing, tournament fishing, and fun fishing for the last two years, and as a trade-off for how light weight and high performance it is, I am happy to keep patching!

[@manfredstrappen7491]

I think you’re going about this too piecemeal. Just get a sheet of 3M wrap. It’s what all those pro bass boats are covered with as well cars and even military helicopter windshields. Very tough. Removable and it shrinks to fit.

[@GirlGoneFishing]

I'm not terribly familiar with the durability of vinal wraps, but I just read the instructions from 3M and they said you are supposed to avoid getting nicks and dings from rocks that will damage the wrap. I already have a kayak hull that you are supposed to avoid nicks and dings from rocks, I am trying to put something over it that is tougher than that for protection but still doesn't at too much weight. I've tried numerous types of tape over the last two years and have found something like this Waterproof Gorilla Tape or Waterproof T-Rex Tape that has a more rubbery thickness is best for protection. The regular Gorilla Tape that I tried the first year shredded as soon as I dragged the kayak up a boat ramp, and I picture the vinal wrap being very similar since it says on the website that the wrap will be in danger of peeling if there is a scratch or hole that goes through the wrap. If I'm wrong, please tell me!

[@ArthriticAngler]

They are a great platform, but….. I’m about to put a layer of S glass of basalt inegra on the bottom. Oysters

[@GirlGoneFishing]

I hope someday someone comes up with the perfect lightweight protection for the hull!

[@elvispressley702]

We shouldn’t be doing anything like that for that price , Hobie really

[@GirlGoneFishing]

I'm willing to jump through some hoops to protect a pedal kayak of that quality that is only 47 pounds! That weight makes a huge difference to me since I car-top the kayak.