Leaks and Repairs

I just came into a Ocean Kayak Malibu Two. It was cheap and it’s just what I wanted to give kayaking a practice trial. Problem is, there are stress cracks on the forward sides of all four scuppers. These cracks are small but they do allow in water, about 2 gallons over a 3 hour period.



Question is, is this a design flaw common to the model? Or should I suspect some misuse by previous owners?



Next question, what is the best way to seal those and any possible future cracks? J.B. weld was the solution the previous owner attempted before selling to me. That material wasn’t flexible enough not did it stick to the plastic of the Kayak.



Thanks in advance.

Some considerations . . .
I wonder if the boat was stored in the sun, with the result that the scuppers - where stress sometimes occurs - cracked. Scupper holes are the weakest points on some SOTs. Also the previous owner may have used one of those scupper hole mounting SOT kayak carts. These carts have rods that stick up into the scuppers and maintain the boat on the cart. SOT manufacturers generally discourage use of these carts: scupper holes are not designed as load-points.



Beyond this, scupper holes are often the weakest part of an SOT, though newer models tend to have heavier molding there.



Gluing repair of any kind is not the best option. Plastic-welding of the poly - if the cracks can be reached - is probably the best option. (Remove all old glue first!) A Google search will give you resources for poly welding, which would use more of the material the boat is made of to repair the cracks. Also, there are paddlers and outfitters who have welding skills and equipment who can do it at a reasonable price.



Finally, hopefully, your boat has not begun to deteriorate from UV exposure. Is the color faded? Can you whack the hull firmly with the heel of your hand without cracking it? (I know, this test is not appealing, but better to find out on dry land than open water!)



Good luck - enjoy your boat!

Your best bet is West Systems
"G-flex" epoxy

It is made for plastics.



Just follow the directions



Jack L

Neck seals
The reason neck seals get replaced most often is because of the ratio of stretch needed to make it over your head and to fit the neck. A Kokatat rep once told me this is why they don’t use silicone - because it doesn’t have the stretch and recovery of latex.



If you’re not built like ET you’ll be fine like everyone else.

re: uv damage
There is some fading but my friend (previous owner who picked this up as a added value to a deal on another kayak) had already done some checking and I’ve done some as well. Even though it’s faded a little bit on top, it’s still sound. The cracks are on the bottom and likely due to stress and not UV damage.

wrong thread
Um…Jay…wrong thread.



Bill H.

MSDS
How well will it hold up in high stress areas? I have these fine cracks below the water line at the scuppers. Each one of them has a crack in the exact corresponding spot which tells me that this area receives the brunt of the load while I using the kayak. With repeated exposure, about how long will this repair hold?

Hard to answer without actually seeing
the cracks. Brief flaming with a propane torch is needed to optimise G-flex adhesion. If the torch can get at the cracks, that’s good. Also, in some stress situations, it may be necessary to use a bit of glass, Kevlar, or polyester cloth to back up the crack fix. But it would be worth trying G-flex alone before putting in the extra effort of glassing.