How Did My Hobie Lynx Hold Up After A Season Of Tournament Fishing? A Look At The Hull

I've had a bunch of questions about how my Hobie Lynx, specifically the bottom, has held up after a season on the tournament trail, so after I gave it a good bath, I made this little video. First I stopped at Strictly Sail & Kayak, where they helped me peel off the Gorilla tape we put on last year for protection, epoxied a few small dings, and put on new tape. The Gorilla tape does seem to keep it from getting scratched, although the scratches seem cosmetic anyway. Then we glued on a BerleyPro Bumper to protect the nose of the kayak... I was wearing a thin spot on the bottom of the nose along the centerline, and I decided that must be from rubbing on concrete as I come in for a "landing" at the boat ramp, and then I step off the nose of the kayak onto the ramp which would push the nose down on the concrete even mroe. But one BerleyPro attached with some Marine Goop and some Gorilla Tape until the Goop is dry, and I'm good to go!

When I first got my Lynx in June of 2021, I had no idea that I needed to treat this kayak any different from any other kayak. But it didn't take long for me to drop it and cause a small crack (easily epoxied and fixed!), and then I got "treed" on submerged standing timber, and it caused a small puncture, again easily epoxied. But after that second one, I researched the materials of the kayak, and understood that the tradeoff for the lighter weight is that the Lynx does not want to be beat up, you have to be a little more gentle with it than with a heavier rotomolded kayak. So worth it!
So ever since then, I have made sure not to drag it anywhere I can use a cart, be careful not to drop it, and try not to get the kayak stuck on top of pointy trees.

I absolutely love my Lynx, and I wouldn't trade it for any other kayak for 99% of all fishing trips. But I have learned that for things like shallow river trips where the boat will get bashed around on rocks, something like a Hobie iTrek11 or iTrek9 inflatable would be a better choice for that trip (plus those inflatables are so easy to set up and transport! See my video on the iTrek9 I borrowed for a river trip last summer here:    • Hobie iTrek 9 River Demo - Great Miami Riv...  ).

If you have any questions about the Lynx, drop a comment and I'll do my best to help!

Thanks to Strictly Sail & Kayak for being such amazing supporters of the kayak community!

http://www.strictlysailandkayak.com/g...

Some links to the products I use for Lynx maintenance:

BerleyPro Bumper: https://strictlysailinc.com/products/...

Epoxy Repair Pack: https://strictlysailinc.com/products/...

Marine Goop: https://strictlysailinc.com/products/...