Water Leaks

Had the opportunity this past weekend to talk with someone familiar with the Outback - Keith Sawyer of Key Sailing in Pensacola. We were discussing water getting into the kayak and he showed me a few things I didn't realize. He didn't think "gallons" of water can enter the kayak from the rudder eyelets because those eyelets are connected to tubing and water would actually have to go uphill to enter the kayak.

The kayak is still getting more water inside of it than should be normal when playing in waves. Time to start looking at other possibilities like the hatches or any other place where water might enter. I'm going to figure out where the water is coming from and stop it so I'll feel more secure on open water trips.

What a surprise. I was fishing for three (3) hours last Saturday and discovered over a gallon of water in my hull. On Monday morning I called Hobie Cat for advise and was told that the only answer to my problem was to go to the User Forums on the Website and I would find out the "Official Answer" to correct the leaks. WOW !!! The only thing I find is another owner having the same problem and no competent answer. There was no way that the water entered though the hatches. I can only conclude at this stage that I have a leak though one of the seams where the top and bottom were joined. Does any solution exist?

When we have a leak that we cannot find in Cats use a pressure test to find the problem. Take a vacuum and reverse it, where it blows, insert it into the hull. Spray soapy water all over the hull, where you have bubbles you have leeks. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT OVER PRESSURIZE THE HULLS YOU WILL CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS AND A SMALL LEAK.

Thanks,
Brad Stephens
www.sunjammers.com
Hobie Division 15 Chairman
Authorized Hobie/Vanguard/Hunter Dealer
[email protected]
850-235-2281
Panama City Beach, FL

Likely that is what someone here at Hobie Cat had in mind. We have a leak test procedure they probably thought you should try.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=169

Wouldn't think it was one of our tech guys telling someone that though. First we would have suggested bringing the kayak back to your dealer. We would have described the leak test procedure and told you to look at a few possible areas. One specific area to check is around the drive well (if you have a Mirage), drain plug, hatches.

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

[quote="mmiller"] One specific area to check is around the drive well (if you have a Mirage), drain plug, hatches.[/quote]

I have the Hank Parker Mirage Outback fisherman. My deck hatchs do leak. I know this because rain water can get in and the hose water when I clean my Kayak gets in. However, last saturday I started with a clean,dry craft. The weather was calm and sunny, I was fishing for trout from a small lake and had no splash or wave action to cause deck wash leaking in at the hatchs, My drain hole has a good gasket seal and was tight. I will check out the Mirage drive well. I will attemp the pressurization technique.

The reason to check the well is that this area is a complex area to mold and has several mold parting lines running through it. A hole can be created by the molding process caused by venting. It could also have been thin on a high point. It is throughly checked by the assembly crew, but with the granite colors and the high number of boats being made... it is possible something slipped by them. These materials are highly repairable though. A simple weld should fix it. If there is a hole, be sure to see your dealer about a repair or possibly a replacement hull.

Be sure to look at the scuppers too. We had seen some seat area scuppers with thin walls.

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

Have you checked for hairline cracks where the Mirage unit is inserted? I've heard others with water problems from that area of the yak... I believe I heard that it was an ocassional problem with the 2004 Outbacks.

Good idea. I have a 12 volt electric mattress pump. Think I'll apply a little pressure and Mr. Bubbles to figure out the solution to the whole problem of my water leak. (pardon the pun).

Haven't checked for any cracks. Only time I get water in the hull is when it is when water is crashing onto the deck which leads me to believe the source of water entry will be on top somewhere.

There has been quite a bit of discussion on the KFS-Hobie forum regarding leaks or water in the hull....a recent poster just wrote about concerns regarding the bow hatch possibly leaking. You may want check out their comments, including a current thread on "Rainwater in the Hull."

It has been very difficult to get a hatch that does not actually leak, so we have been designing our own. Look for a new "All Hobie" hatch coming out next season. We have done lots of work on back up plates and gaskets, but when the hatch itself leaks... Some of the rain water issues are over prolonged storage. I would keep the boat upside down.

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

Yes, rainwater will just drip off if stored upside down. If someone stores the kayak upright, water will be pooling in rod holder holes and anywhere else where it can't run off. Standing water draws dagnabbidrottenmeanposterior mosquitoes, and we certainly don't want to encourage their growth...

If Greg is designing it, it is sure to be good. For what it is worth, most regular sit-in kayaks with a rudder system leak some water into the hull and while most hatches are pretty tight, when plowing through waves, water still manages to get in my paddle kayak, front and back. But, that paddle kayak is just sitting there gathering dust though because I'd rather be pedaling the Outback.

Based on the reports of others, and my own experience in thunderstorms, the Outback hatches do leak, but not where you might expect it. The screw-in hatches themselves are apparently not the culprit--it is the gaskets beneath the hatch margins that are leaking. If you look at the hatch area, you will notice a nice depression surrounding the edge of the hatches. It is here that water pools and then apparently drains beneath the hatch gaskets and into the hull.

The solution (from those that have done it--I still haven't gotten around to it yet) is to remove the entire hatch where it is screwed/attached to the Outback deck. Roughen the area up with a piece of fine sandpaper, wipe clean with some alcohol, let dry, and then put down a thick bead (or two) of silicone or Lexcel all the way around. Replace the hach gasket and the hatch edge or margin ASAP. Replace screws, snug down and tighten, and if all the planets are in alignment, you may have solved the problem.

_________________

On the advice of Sunjammers, out came the air matress pump, some soapy spray, and the bubble hunt began. The hull has a few minor leaks in places not critical. Next came the hose test. The kayak was sprayed in key places, then hatches were opened to see if there was any water. This proceedure got results. The sail mast tube is the source of my water leak. It has two rivet holes inside of it. When water breaks over the bow, it trickles down across or around the front hatch and ends up in the sail mast tube. Water should have filled the tube all the way to the top, but it stopped at the rivet holes. Bingo! I went to Lowes and invested in a $1 rubber stopper. Hopefully this will cure the problem of excess water leakage. More on this after some field testing.