old i-12's with the bow hatches

i have a 2009-ish i-12 that is way out of warranty. hobie redesigned the bows that had the air tubes/hatch doors there because the design was faulty and caused air leaks.

mine isnt leaking yet, but im fixing other leaks ATT. some questions:

1) what can i do -now- to prevent leaks in the bow tube from ever happening? seal all the seams there? fold kayak a different way?
2) im sealing my other leaks externally by shotgun sealing all external seams, even on the bottom, and including the scuppers. if i want to also eliminate internal leaks using Toobseal, how do you apply it? 1 quart is supposed to treat a 12 foot boat. so do you pour 1/3 qt into all 3 air chambers and swirl it around?

thanks all.

i apologize for the double post...it took more than 4 days for the original post to clear approval so i sent another thinking it was dropped.

yes thanks. done. i deleted the duplicate.

to answer your question the bow held alot of things but i dont use it because of the liabilities of weight bearing there. but it will hold 15 loaves of bread easy!

so...anyone got answers to questions 1 + 2 above. esp question 2 about toobseal...thx

I think frankfp used toobseal on his i12s with good results. Try PM-ing him.

The instructions are confusing, but what I gleaned from other sites is use 1/3 of the 32 oz container per tube, so about 11 oz per tube. Can't swear to this though!

I'd just call the mfr. & ask to be sure.

BTW: Remove the valves before pouring & reinstall them before inflating (to state the obvious).

Good luck & let us know what you find out!

called manufacturer.

they said, pour 1/3 of the 1 qt product into each of 3 tubes (for i12 anyway) into an inflated boat and then "swirl it all around all surfaces" meaning this would take 2 people to do, especially if your leak was on the top or side somewhere. many leaks can be on the sides because people have to drain the bilges off of the side seams.

his wrap up of the phone call brought it to the main take away: it really helps if you know WHERE the leak is generally. meaning you have to first troubleshoot with soap water. if the leak is on top, seal it with goop. if its on the bottom side in bilge area, his product may be better.