Rev 11 taking on water

I have had 2 outbacks, a tandem island, and now I have 2 rev 11' s. I just bought the rev 11's and the second time out we decided to try flipping the boats and getting back in. We test every kayak to be sure we can flip it back to upright position and get back in boat. I tried to go across with no luck, I'm 200 lbs. and it just flipped back over, so I decided to get in the same way i did my outback, over the stern, and when I got in I noticed in the little time the stern was submerged it had taken on one third of the inside of the boat in water. I know a little water might be normal. My outback and T.I rarely had water inside of the hatches. My question - is this common on the 2015 rev 11. Has anyone else had excessive water problems with the rev 11? My wife was able to flip her rev 11 and did not submerge the stern of the boat getting back in the boat, but she also had water inside the boat, not as much as I did. Is this normal? It just seems strange the outback and the TI did not leak water into the boat. These were brand new boats and the seals for all hatches are intact.

Since the Revo 11 is a smaller kayak with a lower rated capacity, one would expect it to sit lower in the water/less free-board as compared to a Outback and potentially take on more water once capsized with a reentry 200 pound load Vs 120 pounds (I am guessing your wife's weight) .
Consider the specs....
Revolution 11' 6" long x 29" wide & 275# capacity.
Outback 12' 1" long x 33" wide & 400# capacity.

Both kayaks have positive flotation inside the hull so they will not sink or swamp, but I know from experience with my old 2010 Outback, it did take on some water during several capsize/reentry practices I did prior to "learning the hard way if it were to happen later on".
That exercise prompted me to install 12 pool noodles x 3' long (6 on either side of the mirage drive/seat inside the hull) and add a hand operated, bilge pump "just in case"..

I can't comment on how much water you should expect to enter the hull of your Revos, but all of these Kayaks will take on some water depending on how long they are upside down and if you have stuff inside the storage compartment that can exert downward pressure on the lid and cause it to leak more Vs an empty compartment.

Lastly, the hatch design of the Revo 11 "protrudes higher up" than the Outback hatch......maybe that has some bearing on the water intrusion once capsized?? Just a thought.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

I believe the problem with the Revo 11 may be that the front hatch does not seal, particularly in the front where it hinges. It can be lowered to seal but then the hatch won't open without catching on the seal, thereby dislodging it. IMO retrimming the lid lip and adjusting the hinge straps as necessary would likely diminish the problem, but I haven't tried it and am not recommending it. In the following pic of an almost closed hatch, you can clearly see the large gap. Unfortunate. Perhaps Hobie has cleared up this problem on its most recent production??



This could account for a significant water intrusion in short order when capsized in some circumstances.