yupper
Leaks not a problem with my Tempest 165
The front hatch has never been anything but completely dry, no matter what. The day hatch and rear hatch sometimes get a few drops in them after prolonged rolling/submersion. I mean literally a few drops–can dry it with a paper towel.
One thing I noticed is that any leakage is more likely on days with very hot air and cold water, something we get a lot of around here. When the kayak hits the cold water, the hatch covers become visibly sucked in. That tells me they are fairly well-sealed. Still, sometimes there is a tiny bit of water in either the day or the rear hatch on such days, after lots of rolling. Even my S&G kayak, which has a very secure hatch system, will get a small amount of water in the hatches on such days. I think the sudden contraction of the air in there (when the kayak is put in the much colder water) literally sucks some water in.
I also noticed that cleaning the cover/rim contact areas and then wiping a 303-sprayed rag on them seems to improve the seal. Ironically, it also makes the cover feel too easy to remove.
"I honestly haven’t had any problems…"
Three Tempests in three years?!
Methinks that’s not the whole story.
then there are the admirers
who have never owned a Wildy boat (although my Chatham was purchased at Alder Creek)–a first class guy.
For the record, I can do no better than repost Mr. Scherrer’s original points: 1) There are leaky hatches out there, but 2) many of those that leak don’t have to; people are putting them on wrong. That’s tantamount to admitting it’s a bad design, but just because they’re finicky doesn’t mean that people aren’t putting them on wrong. I had an Eddyline with a rear hatch that was a devil of a hatch to put on. Did I like it? No. But if I put it on correctly, it didn’t leak. Same with the old WS hatches, seems to me.
–B.
PS: I’m glad you point out, Friendlyfire, that “people who give angry, defensive or lockstep retorts are not worth the time of a thoughtful response”, but wonder if that was meant to refer to your and Lumbago’s posts as transparently as it appears to.
nm
which chatam?
16, 17 or 18—if the 17 or 18 poly or glass and how do you like it? I’m seriously considering either a C 17 or C18—would keep the Tempest but one can’t have too many boats.
no bohemia
I leave that kind of response to you.
I have the 18 in glass
and have had the 17 in plastic. Very different boats, so it’s like comparing apples and oranges. I have not paddled (but would like to) the 17 in glass. The one I saw in Seattle looked wider than my old plastic boat, but maybe the 18 has thrown off all sense of perspective. It’s pretty stable but I still manage to get dumped. The good news: at only 20 inches, it’s pretty easy to roll. The bad news: at only 20 inches wide, sometimes that roll keeps on a-rolling and it’s time for a “take two”! The 18 is definitely a harder tracking boat, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find how well it handles in surf.
I’ve been zinged!
zing, zang, zung