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Kayak Maintenance 101 : How Do I Care For My Fishing Kayak?

Kayak Maintenance
Written by Jessica Herron
Last Update: August 14, 2023

Your kayak should look beautiful on a day you fish. It should also delivers performance no matter if you go fishing frequently. But, how long? Like anything else, your kayak requires your attention at least once in every 3/4 months. Seeing the size, design, and construction of the vessel, you might feel the job has to be assigned to someone who knows how to do the job perfectly. But you can do it yourself in just a few steps, and you need not contact anybody else for caring for your fishing kayak throughout the year.

The following are the proper and perfect caring procedures for a fishing kayak. So you should follow all kayak maintenance procedures of caring for your fishing kayak.

Kayak Maintenance – Preseason care

Before the advent of the fishing season, every fishing kayak requires to be prepared. The techniques to ensure preseason care are discussed below.

Examine the hull for mishap or deformation

Take care of your kayak’s storage before the arrival of the fishing seasons. If you find your kayak’s hull unshaped, you can easily get it back. For correcting the shape of a kayak, you can expose it to the Sun.
Kayak Maintenance

Ensure different parts of the kayak are in good shape

Before using the kayak, ensure that bungees, perimeter lines, hardware are not deformed or twisted. Exposure of the kayak to the UV rays of the Sun is harmful to kayak’s bungees/lines.
Inspect-the-rigging

Look into the rudder

Your kayak may have Skeg or rudder. Check different parts which includes pedals, cables made of stainless steel, lines of deployment which are associated with Skeg or rudder. It is a good idea to repair any part before taking part in any water adventure.
Look-into-the-rudder

Replace the old parts

Before starting out for fishing, you should replace the old parts of your kayaks with new ones to avoid any unwanted situation.
Replace-the-old-parts

Refill energy gear

Make sure that your kayak have first aid box or other emergency tools.
Refill-energy-gear

Kayak Maintenance – In Season Kayak’s Care

During the kayak fishing season, you should follow the guidelines below.

Use a cart to carry your kayak to the water

While taking your kayak into the water, you should use a kayak cart. The bottom of your kayak will get thin if you drag your kayak on the rough surface.
Use-a-kayak-cart

Keep it clean

You should keep your kayak clean. Otherwise, it will look less than good. A clean and tidy kayak can bring you joy while fishing.
Kayak Maintenance

Protect it from the sun

While kayaking under the sun, you should ensure its protection from severe sun rays, so it doesn’t get faded. You can spray 303 protectant to shield it from damages caused by ultraviolet rays.
Protect-it-from-the-sun

Cover the cockpit

When your kayak is not in use, you should keep it covered to protect it from rain and critters.
Cover-the-cockpit

Care for off-season

After the course of the fishing season, the off seasons for kayak arrive. For this season, you need caring your kayak too. The following are the methods of off seasonal caring for a kayak.
Kayak Maintenance Care for off season

  • Clean the kayak after using in the fishing season for the further use of it. If you fail to clean it properly, you may not expect good performance from your kayak next year. So, take good care of your boat.
  • After cleaning your kayak, you should dry it.
  • After the seasonal uses, you should take care of your rigging components.
  • After that, you need to manage the right storage components for future uses.

You may buy any kayak model for fishing, but you should not stop ensuring fishing kayak care if you do not want to lose your kayak’s beauty and performance in just a year after buying that at top dollars.

About the author

Jessica Herron

Hi! This is Jessica. I can be your virtual outdoor buddy, lol! My friends call me a devotee of adventure. I believe, as any outdoor enthusiast does, adventures are all about the thrill. My love consists of a mix of fishing and camping in the wild, if you ask (what thrills you most?). So, I could be of help (through my articles on this website) to any adventure seeker as long as backpacking, survival, camping, hiking, and fishing are concerned. Are you planning to take a trip to the wild next weekend? Maybe, you already are in the middle of a journey. No matter where you are, my words are on the air!

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