Hi everyone.
I just got back from my first paddle of any length.
I have a question about my inflatable. Is it normal for a small amount of water to pool up inside of the shell on the bottom that is holding the floor bladder in place??
When I got the boat out of the water and started deflating it, I noticed that inside the floor of the boat there was a small amount of water that had gathered there.
For what it’s worth I’m a novice and I was making quite a mess with the splashing.
I just don’t want to have to worry that my boat is leaking!!
Thanks.
Jeff
Jeff, more than likely
it’s drip water from your paddle, although, not impossible to have a small leak. What brand and model is your kayak? I have 2 and a great way too see if there is a puncture is to fill the kayak until firm, mix some dish soap with water (get lots of bubbles) and slowly pour or brush on to any suspect area. If a leak, it will bubble. Did your kayak come with a patch kit? If not, there are some fast and easy kits out there.
It’s…
…a cheap one.
It’s a Kwik Tek Airhead TK-1. It’s got good reviews on this site, so I think it’s a pretty decent quality product.
normal
Yeah, it’s pretty normal with that style of boat. I always carry one of those camping towels and mop it up before I pack the boat away. Any water that gets into the boat, from your feet, or from paddle drips, will collect under there.
sponge
Yeah, that’s normal drip from your paddle. On some SOTs, like some of the hardshell Tarpons, it tends to collect in the seat area, which is a serious design flaw IMO. Always a wet butt.
A sponge is nice to have for several reasons on the water, and as an added benefit you can store it where the drip water tends to collect to stop it from sloshing around. Or, if it collects in bad places, store the sponge on the path the water travels to get there, if you can figure it out, to alleviate the problem.
Normal
It doesn’t mean the boat is leaking