Pro Angler 14 Font hatch latch kit and seal

Hey guys good morning,

Had my first pretty dicey experience last weekend was out in the bay with my 2017 PA 14 and was breaking waves as it was pretty windy out (15-20Mph) and filled up my whole front bay with water which was a scary experience. Noticed the front of the boat was dipping a little low opened the front up and was surprised to see the whole bin filled up I was not able to lift the water out as that was damn heavy luckily I was smart and had ordered a hand bilge pump which was floating in the bin filled with water. After pumping out the water and emptying the bin , I put it back in sealed it up got back to shore then saw water in the hull about 10 gallons I would say but scary experience.

I was a little annoyed that this was just not water tight after spending a small fortune I must say. So after my internal rage,I did research from you wonderful peeps here and ordered the Trim Loc Hatch Seal and also 2 front hatch latches (might get another 2 ) . Does anyone know how these are installed ? Do you have to drill at all ? why do the accessories never come with install instructions for stupid people like me

I was planning on installing them on the top on the front of the boat , but like I said might get all four better to be safe than sorry

picture of install on internet :

https://static.hobiecat.com/web_uploads ... _latch.JPG

Why if so many people have this issue , would they just not have these items installed by default ? I saw posts regarding this issue a year before and I just bought my yak 2 months ago why would it not be included in newer models ?

I responded to this same issue just last night and was wondering the exact same thing...

"In my humble but most accurate opinion, Hobie needs to find a solution and fix that immediately. I've seen where guys have come up with some inexpensive solutions for a front hatch fix, but it makes you wonder why Hobie hasn't already addressed the problem before they leave Hobie-Land??? Sealing the rod tube ends to prevent water draining into the hatch while standing was an easy excellent start towards a dry hatch... now a factory hatch seal will "seal da deal"! Cable inserts from the FF and other electronics could be siliconed as needed and desired by each individual owner.

I love the air-tight, water-proof seal on my Ocean Kayak BG II... It's just too bad I can't switch it over to one of the PA. I still hope to get a Pro Angler soon, but you can bet that a fix for the front hatch will be the first thing I'll tackle!"

One thing that I would recommend would be to insert several (5-6) beefy pool noodles inside the PA. That should at least keep it from sinking to the bottom of the ocean/lake. I did the same on my OK BG II. Even if the entire hull was filled with water, the internal pool noodles should keep me slightly above water where I could still paddle back even with the yak mostly/partly submerged.

That isn't the cure, but only insurance if the other precautions fail. Obi1, that's the first time I've seen someone include that type of a latch. It looks like it could work providing you had a much better seal underneath. The seal underneath is the most important, then the method of securing and maintaining a tight fit. I still like Ocean Kayak's quick sealing method best. Perhaps Hobie will come up with a simple solution soon (before I get mine I hope you are able to work out solution and game plan for your fix soon!

Here is one fella's fix for the hatch seal problem. I hope it helps!

Heya Crappie Yaker,

thanks for the response just a quick question I never even looked because I figured that the rod tubes were closed, but you did mention that in your previous post . So are they sealed now ? were they not in the past or dammit do I have another way for water to get in? I am not home and can't check but was wondering

Somebody else will have to "chime in" on the specifics of that one... All I know is that I saw a fella commenting on it some time ago with one of his older Pro Angler 14s (Venture Tube I think) and he mentioned that every time he stood up to cast, water came up through the front scupper holes and ran into the lower rod tube and emptied into the hull. He also mentioned that on his newer Pro Angler 14 the end of the rod tubes had a "cap" or were sealed some way. He said that it fixed the problem! I think it was the Venture Tube fella, but don't quote me on it. I'll look for it and see if I can find it. If you do have one of the older ones or get one of the older ones, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just ask Hobie if they have the "caps" and if they don't, make you one out of PVC. I agree it should have been noticed in product testing and fixed accordingly if that was what you were thinking. No one wants their fishing rig to get "swamped" with water (by any means) and sink to the bottom of the "drink"! Pool Noodles are our Friends!

Clarification: It was Tony at Venture Tube but he said his older version PA had the Rod Tubes "welded at the end with a sharp point". He mentioned that they eventually cracked, thus eventually leaking. So it wasn't just opened at the end but would have stress cracks I guess... He did say his 2016 had the issue fixed. Anyway, I found the video and Tony starts the reference at 2:51. I hope it helps.

The hatch latches do help seal the front hatch to a certain extent...to be extra secure, you might think about adhering an additional rubber seal (Trim-lok) on the underside of the hatch lid in addition to the hatch latch kits installed as pictured in the link you posted.

_________________
Howie Strech
Parts & Accessories Product Manager
Hobie Cat USA

I did purchase the liner and will put it in for sure but do you guys have install instructions for the hatch latch strap kit, do I have to drill into the kayak to install ?

I have a 2016 PA and the rod tubes are closed up. They have plastic cone shaped caps on the ends. BUT the caps are not watertight. I do get some leaking around the cone shaped ends of the rod tubes. It's not much but I do usually have 1/2 a cup of water or so in the hull after a fishing trip. I think the design of the rod holders is poor and needs to be re-designed so there aren't large holes near the bottom of the boat where water can get into the hull.

The rod tubes in my 2013 PA-14 leaked around the outer edge, so I removed them and resealed using a "bead of Duct Seal"....the same way one would use plumbers putty when setting a sink drain.
I also used a pool noodle to plug the ends of the rod tubes since I don't store my rod inside the tube.
The pool noodle is easy to trim and then "force fit inside the end of the rod tube" and can be removed for future use.

_________________
Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR