How to Get a Dent Out of a Mad River Adventure Canoe

Mad River's Adventure canoes are inexpensive, durable boats. These molded canoes are built from a polyethylene similar to the plastics used for building whitewater and touring kayaks. While polyethylene is durable, it can dent. Most often these dents occur after incorrectly storing and transporting the canoe, or from continuous exposure to the sun. Occasionally, a dent may occur from weight pressed on the canoe or from a hard impact while on the water. Luckily, most dents are easy to remove.

Things You'll Need

  • Hair dryer
  • Heat gun
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prevent dents by correctly storing your Mad River Adventure canoe. When storing the canoe sideways, make sure it rests on the ridged sections of the canoe's hull. On the Adventure canoes, the most ridged sections are near the seats. Store the canoe upside down with pressure evenly distributed across the gunwales to reliably prevent dents. Never store your canoe resting on its bottom. Store your canoe out of the sun.

    • 2

      Transport your canoe correctly. When transporting your canoe on top of the car, check the tension of the tie-down straps. On a hot sunny day, an overly tight strap may cause dents. Once you have parked the car, loosen the straps.

    • 3

      Leave your canoe out in the sun. Polyethylene has memory; it wants to form back into the shape it was molded into, and you can encourage it back into shape by applying heat. Minor dents often disappear after the canoe is left in the sun for a day.

    • 4

      Apply pressure while letting the canoe sit in the sun. If simply leaving the Mad River Adventure canoe doesn't get the dent out, apply pressure from the inside of the hull while allowing the sun to heat the outside. On stubborn dents, build a brace to apply constant pressure to the inside of the dent. Leave the boat with brace in place out in the sun for a full day.

    • 5

      Use direct heat from a hair dryer or heat gun. Hold the hair dryer or heat gun 1 to 2 inches away from the hull and keep it moving. While constantly moving the dryer, apply pressure to the other side of the dent. With enough time, the dent will come out.