Hello everyone -
I have a 2006 Hank Parker edition outback that I have a few miscellaneous maintenance items I could use some help on to help improve its ocean worthiness (mainly nearshore pacific rock fishing in NorCal).
- Water infiltration: I am accumulating about ~1-2 gallons of water during 4 hr outings. It’s not immediately clear where this water is coming from. I recently JB welded one of the two twist lock bolts that secure the mirage drive. I don’t believe that column is cracked but I haven’t inspected it. The repair held up fine during a recent outing. The only other location I have considered are the grommet holes at the back of the kayak where the rudder lines penetrate the hull. These are nearly completely worn due to wear - see attached photos. Are these replaceable and if so where can I purchase them? Otherwise could the source of water be a hairline crack below waterline? Any tips appreciated.
- Rudder cable tensioning: the left/right steering cable is fine, however there’s too much slack in the deploy/stow cable to lift the rudder. How would I go about tensioning this line?
- Broken hatch under seat: I’m sure this is a common issue with this model. How can I permanently solve this? Mainly an issue if water were to come overboard.
- forward hatch install: is it possible to put a hatch where the tackle box tray lies? This would provide a nice access point to the hull.
Photos:
https://imgur.com/a/ZV4FpPjThanks in advance for any tips.
Cheers