Looking for the Leak

[clm]

Took the hobie out today to Wheatley lake again. Completely dry inside to start. After 3 hours of fishing with the family I had a gallon and a half inside. No where near sinking me, but worrisome all the same. Guess I will be filling it with water next since the air attempt did not work.

[docirv]

It is most likely a crack in the mirage drive area, usually the front bottom of the drive opening. I have fixed these before successfully bit it was not too easy. Fill it with water and look for the leak, but put the kayak up on two saw horses that can hold the weight. Have you ever used plastic welder? Also you will need to get some glue from Tamaron technologies. It is the only glue that works with the type of plastic our kayaks are made of. But it is expensive glue!!!

[clm]

found it

It is most likely a crack in the mirage drive area, usually the front bottom of the drive opening. I have fixed these before successfully bit it was not too easy. Fill it with water and look for the leak, but put the kayak up on two saw horses that can hold the weight. Have you ever used plastic welder? Also you will need to get some glue from Tamaron technologies. It is the only glue that works with the type of plastic our kayaks are made of. But it is expensive glue!!!

It is the rear of the drive area. I didn't have to fill it all the way thankfully. Small vertical crack. It seeps, but I imagunge when I'm working the pedals it flexes and pumps in. After I found it, I looked closely inside. AHA! silicone. Someone attempted a fix prior to me.

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Glueable you think? Or plastic weldable? Now that I know for sure and have the location (worst spot too), maybe a call to a dealer for a professional opinion. I was hoping for a relatively stress free area, not in there. Grrrrrr.


Just pulled the silicone off the inside. It wasn't adhered at all. Clearly visible now. I can't afford a new one now, but I will contact a dealer for advice, and from reading here and online may attempt to weld it until I can replace it.

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[plastic boat]

I would get in touch with hobie and ask if they can help you.
They might give you a trade alowance on a new hull or a stripped new hull at discounted price
seams there is a lot of that happening on the older models on hobie's forums


http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/

[Cowpokey]

That sucks, but at least you found it. There has to be a way to patch it.

My first thought is dryer duct vent tape...the stuff has crazy strong adhesive, but that could be a problem too since it would be a serious pain to get it off if it didn't seal the leak.

[Goody]

Sorry to hear about the crack. Someone posted this link earlier http://www.westsystem.com/ss/g-flex-torture-demo/ . This stuff looks like it would work.

[clm]

Thanks. I saw that. I think I will try a plastic weld first. I've been using it like it is for awhile now. A gallon and a half per 3-4 hours. I think the rear of the drive unit actually covers the crack and helps slow the water in. The silicon was just hiding it, not really sealing it. I've you tubed the process of plastic welding. I think that will work until I can replace it. Not fishing isn't an option. I have other yaks too, just not a peddle one. I will check the hull more frequently to avoid a swim as well. Thanks for the advice and info guys.

[Redfish12]

Call the guys at Backyard Boats in Woodbridge and let them know about your crack. They are highly skilled at these types of repairs and should be able to get you patched up and back on the water if it is fixable. I had a hole in my Revo patched by them last year and it's holding up great.

[kevinfry]

i hope you did not buy that from anyone on here......failure to disclose that is criminal, I'm sure goop from inside the hull would hold for awhile, it is pliable, there is also a tape they use on zodiacs that stuck on a leak on my Malibu2 for years.....and I beat that boat up! I think Jon Veil knows what brand that is....

[plastic boat]

this from a dealer in NJ
melt crack shut and use 3m 5200 and let cure for a week.
I would call hobie first . Can't hurt to ask

link to another forum I found this on http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/20-...rung-leak.html

the member Barrell is a Hobie dealer

[Yak Fish]

Whoever sold it to you like that without disclosing it is really shady. I had the same issue as you're talking about. It seemed to get worse. Denis at backyard boats took care of me. I didn't buy it there, but as an authorized hobie dealer he was able to get me a new hull for $400 or something like that. I didn't even try to consider another option because it'd be terrible to be out there and have it outright fail. I'd contact a dealer first to see if they can do anything since it's a known issue, even if it's out of warranty.

[J.A. Veil]

Sorry about your leakage. Several years ago, I had a small hairline crack around the scupper hole in a 2008 Native Manta Ray 14 that caused a similar amount of inflow as you described. I patched it with Goop. It immediately solved the problem and worked well. Goop adheres very tightly to the plastic compound used in Native kayaks. I don't know if the plastic in Hobies is different. Also, you are dealing with a section of the kayak that flexes. I agree with the suggestions to contact a dealer to see what remedies they can offer. If you don't like those, invest $5 in a tube of Goop at Home Depot (it does not need to be Marine Goop) and try to seal it yourself.

Later I had a much more significant crack in the seating area of the same boat. In that case, Native offered me a brand-new 2012 Manta Ray 14 at no cost.

[clm]

Got my plastic weld kit in. I put a hideous job if it, but I covered it. I put the flashlight behind it and could not see any light through it. I then coated the entire area with 3m PL5200. I will give it the recommended 7 days to fully cure.





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[clm]

[Cowpokey]

Hopefully that fixed it.