Ripped wing cover

I scraped up my wing and tore a 5 inch rip in the blue cover. Any advice on fixing this, other than blue duct tape which is the leading contend right now?

I also have deep gashes in the front of the right hull. How thick are the hulls and when do I need to worry?

Wing covers - Of course... you can replace the covers. You can also remove and take them to an Upholstery shop and have them stitch a patch on the inside (hidden).

Hulls - They are VERY thick. The outer "Cross Linked Polyethelene" is thick and then there is a very thick foam layer inside.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Does the inner foam absorbs water if it gets inside of the haul?
I looked inside of mine hauls and there are some imperfections in the surface of it. Do I need to fix them somehow? Does anything sticks to to the foam?
I read some posts about difficulties with fixing the outer layer what about the inner one?
I also read the post in Hobie product support:

Hulls need to "breathe". Without the vent, the hulls will flex when pressure changes inside as compared to outside the hull. This can cause damage to the structure of the hull. If you hear a puff of air when removing a drain plug, that is not "a good thing".

I keep my haulls unplugged on the beach but I hear it a little bit after sailing.
Matt, can you explain more why it is not "a good thing" ?

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2 Hulls Cezar

The inner foam-like material is "closed cell" and will not absorb water.

The materials inside the hull "foam" is linear polyethylene and is theoritically repairable by welding, but being foam would be very difficult. The outer skin is "cross-linked" and is said to be depleted of it ability of further "linking" of the plastic molecules of material via welding.

Imperfections inside the hull are expected as the material is tumbled during the molding process.

Venting on the plastic hulls is less critical. On a fiberglass hull, the pressure changes can damage the glass structure due to flexing.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)