I picked up an Outback yesterday!

I spent the last few weeks getting the garage organized with a combination of ceiling hoists and a big rack I built that holds 4 boats (kayaks, paddle board, jon boat, etc). Lo and behold, when I finished there was a space that was just perfect for a 2019 Outback. What else could I do - I went to my local store on Saturday and looked at colors (they had all colors in stock at the warehouse). I opted for Seagrass. I would have chosen yellow if they still had it (like my 2011) but I guess that evolved to papaya. To me, the seagrass looked more visible so that is what I picked.

My son and I went back on Sunday and picked it up. I did not get a chance to take it out on the water but I plan on getting it wet this coming weekend. I am really stoked!

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Fish tremble when they hear my name

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
--John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

excellent....

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

Hey Roger,

They did not have the gasket kits yet where I bought my Outback. I think I remember you writing that you had done something before you got your gasket. Do you mind sharing what you did?

I was thinking of using some type of weather stripping in the near term. Seems like that should work pretty well but I am not really sure how thick of a piece I would need. Looks like there are a zillion options.

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Fish tremble when they hear my name

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
--John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

hopefully you will get the Hobie kit soon.

my temporary fix was to apply this weatherstrip to the top of the lower seal:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073V ... UTF8&psc=1

I didn't attach it to the hatch lid since I didn't have a template to locate it property and it isn't as wide as the Hobie supplied seal.

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

Congrats! It's an awesome kayak.

Thanks NC, I am stoked. I plan on taking it out on Friday or Saturday.

Thanks Roger! That helps a lot. I was looking at weather seal strips at Home Depot, but getting one for a car makes more sense. I am not sure when the kit will arrive since the dealer said they had not received any yet. Also, I plan on first taking a hose to the kayak to see if I think it is necessary to apply a stopgap until the kit arrives. From what I have read, some kayaks seal just fine without the gasket.

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Fish tremble when they hear my name

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
--John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

I hear you can also test it by taking it to a lake and flipping it over a few times...lol

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

I am one of the fortunate ones that have not had the issue. I've had mine out on various lakes for about 60 hours now since late September and the most I've seen in my kayak was a few drops. I even took it on a 2 day camping trip where the first day was rain for 4-6 hours, had it on the water that day for thr 2 hours it stopped raining and in windy conditions with water coming over the bow consistently. I always had an escape plan because I knew of the potential issue and regularly checked in the hull through the hatch to make sure I wasn't taking on water. Even under those conditions at the end of that day I didn't even have enough water in the hull to drain it.

I regularly check just to be safe, especially under rough conditions and have not yet had any issues (knocks on wood).