Where's the leak?

[jsnyd86]

"So I have this friend". He says there's a leak in his kayak, but he doesn't know where it's coming from. How would he find the leak?

I was thinking of pumping the hull full of water?


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[mi327]

Is the Yak a sit on top or sit inside? Does it only happen on rough days or all the time? If it is only on rough days I would check the hatches and make sure they are sealing correctly. If not the best thing you could do is get the yak completely dry, and then take it somewhere and put it in the water and one of you sit in it and both thoroughly look for water inside. This would be best to do somewhere shallow so one of you could wade around and get a good luck. Just do it on a calm day and don't paddle since you don't want any water introduced from a source outside of the leak.

I wouldn't do the fill with water method, since it will make finding the leak difficult since the yak will be so heavy, and any splashes or drips etc from the hose will make it tricky to find the leak

[jsnyd86]

Where's the leak?

It's a hobie revo.
It was first discovered on a very rough, very long day on the water. No visible damage or signs of leaking. After further inspection there is a crack under the hatch but it's way above the water line. Since it was rough we thought that was it.

Today it was out on a perfectly calm day for 5 hours and there more water in the hull then there should be. A lot more but not a dangerous amount.

I closed the hatches and hooked up a blow dryer to the inside of the yak. Pressurized it. Then covered the yak in soapy water. Found that technique on a hobie forum. Didn't find major signs of leaks though. Just around the rudder controls which is said to be normal.

Maybe the drain plug wasn't tight? Haha who knows.

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[sparky1423]

Most hobies will take on some water with waves crashing over the bow and sides. Sometimes through the front and middle hatches. The older they get, the more water it will consume

[jsnyd86]

Hmm thanks for the info. This is the 2013. Maybe the manufacturer needs to check it out. In short trips nothing much seems to happen. But even in calm water and a day of fishing there was maybe 1/3 of a gallon.


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[Mark]

I have a Revo and in exceptionally rough conditions like I was in today in the Patapsco I may take on a little water. I've never had puddles, just a few streaks of water on the floor. I believe most of it comes in the rudder cable holes.

One maintenance routine I've used for the three years I've had my Revo is to open the hatches when the boat is in storage in my garage to relieve the compression on the rubber seals around those hatches. Also, I rub those seals with ArmorAll to preserve the suppleness of the rubber.

I don't know if my routine has made a difference. But fortunately, the inside of my hull stays fairly dry.

Editorial addition: I recall when I purchased my Revo in 2013 there was some discussion on this forum about Hobies leaking through cracks in the cart scuppers. I thought Hobie addressed that problem by reinforcing those scuppers with a sleeve of plastic. If your Revo is an older model you may want to check those cart scuppers for cracks.

[Cowpokey]

Most hobies will take on some water with waves crashing over the bow and sides. Sometimes through the front and middle hatches. The older they get, the more water it will consume

/\ This /\

Mine take on some water. Sometimes through the front hatch, some I'm sure gets in were the rudder lines pass through the stern. Never enough to worry about.

[clm]

Keep a big sponge... At only a third of a gallon, you can stay ahead...my used outback had a crack in the rear side of where the pedal drive drops in...it was a rental, so more than likely careless operators running in aground...

I used a plastic welding kit to reinforce the inside...then applied some super marine epoxy...she stays super dry now. Good luck.

[J.A. Veil]

I used to have a 2008 Native Manta Ray 14. I built a homemade scupper-style cart. I suspect that using that cart put extra stress on the scuppers leading to some leakage. Initially, I was not sure how to identify the source of the leaks. I propped the kayak upright on some supports and filled it halfway full of water. I could crawl underneath and see where the water was seeping out at the edge of the scupper holes. I found the hairline cracks and sealed them with Goop.

That method would work for a Revo if the leakage occurs on the underside or lower half of the hull. At least you could verify or rule out whether the leakage comes from there.

[sega]

Prop it up on some milk crates and spray some warm water mixed with soap on it. If you see a spot bubbling, there's your leak. Worked for me.

[JohnE]

Today was one of the choppiest days I have fished cbbt and I took on a worrisome amount of water in my outback. Got almost to the island, opened the center hatch to see a puddle about 3" deep. I took off back for 1st sbc. At 1st sbc, I was able to sponge out most of it with help of a friend. He discovered a rudder line tube had slipped out completely. Thought that must have been the issue and continued fishing in choppy conditions. On the way back in, I checked again and found some water. When I got to the beach, it was probably close to a gallon again.

I pretty much always take on a little water, but usually a quart max on choppy days. I was hoping to fish tomorrow, but need to figure out this leak before. This hair dryer thing seems like a good idea. You just put it in the front hatch or something and turn it on? One suggestion was to place paper towels on the floor of the hull and spray the outside, but it would have to be completely dry obviously.

[jsnyd86]

Where's the leak?

The idea is to pressurize the kayak. Not by much but the discharge to the vacuum, hair dryer, air pump or whatever that will raise the pressure a few psi. The kayak isn't air tight obviously but you don't want to over do it. I cut out a piece of cardboard to fit over the rear hatch. Also cut a hole to fit the hair dryer and taped that cardboard down. Then followed the the soapy water. You'll get bubbles around the rudder lines and maybe some around the hatches but a big place to check is around the drive section and scuppers. I didn't find much but I hope it helps. Let me know what you find!


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[JohnE]

Thanks. I will have to try when I get home. Too exhausted to deal with all that now and would have to work on it with the yak up on the truck.

[Cowpokey]

Not a drop in the kayak today, and we were in some washing machine waves.

[Hemingway]

I have a 2015 Revo13. It has leaked from day one, not to the frightening level of JohnE, but around 8-16 oz. I have filled it with water on sawhorses, and saw some from around the rudder tubes, and Gooped those, but it did not change much. I showed the boat to my dealer (who suggested the water test) and the Regional Hobie sales rep. (who said it could come from condensation especially with the dune color causing the hull to get super hot). I have Gooped every possible fastener and used faucet grease on all the hatch gaskets, but nothing has changed. Not sure what to try next, maybe the soap.