I’d go with
a Ti 3Al 2.5V tube just to be sure it wouldn’t collapse if a whale landed on your deck. Plus no rust.
P.O.T. kayak
Sounds like something made in Humbolt County.
Guess it’s better than POS (piss over the side).
what? Ti 3Al 2.5 V?
that’s the grade you would use for a dolphin landing on your deck. If you are serious about whales go for the Ti 6Al 4V.
Ah, and should be mirror polished 
Really want to know?
TIMET TIMETAL® 3-2.5 Titanium Alloy (Ti-3Al-2.5V; ASTM Grade 9) Aged
Features: Cold formable and weldable, this alloy is used primarily for honeycomb foil and hydraulic tubing applications. Industrial applications such as pressure vessels and piping also utilize this alloy. Available with palladium stabilization to enhance corrosion resistance. The alloy is cold formable and easily welded, such like the commercially pure grades of titanium. Yet the alloys offer nearly double the strength over TIMETAL 50A. It is ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code approved. It offers the highest structural efficiency of any of the common engineering metals approved by ASME. The alloy is available in all common product forms including billet, bar, plate, sheet, strip, tubing and pipe. It is nonmagnetic.
Info from - http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheettext.aspx?matid=19296
if you really want to be serious
the only Ti you should consider would be Grade 18: contains 3% Aluminum, 2.5% Vanadium and 0.04 to 0.08% Palladium. This grade is identical to Grade 9 in terms of mechanical characteristics. The added Palladium gives it increased corrosion resistance.
Whatever…
Vent holes and suction
– Last Updated: Aug-22-08 11:31 AM EST –
The VCP hatch was the boat that started the need to vent hatches because it was the first hatch to actually perfectly seal. The first bulkhead I saw with a vent hole was P & H. Valley never vented - do they now? I remember seeing sucked in and puffed out oval hatch covers. So, all these strap on hatch lids would actually suck in water if a suction started because they never fully sealed. Interesting point that a vent hole can actually lead to a dryer compartment with a lot of hatch covers. You can only assume that the only reason a manufacturer doesn't do such a simple thing is that theyÊdon't know about these things. P & H used to put the hole in the center of the bulkhead so upside down or right side up, you get no water going in. The hole was as tiny as a paper clip wire.
Re: 36 replies!
Flatpick: Man you got that right! I’ll be real careful before bringing anything like that up again! Ken…
What about
water pooling on my seat pan???
don’t you dare…
;
Not so fast
I don’t know how long P&H has been doing this, but my new Capella has rubber grommets fitted into the bulkheads. The drilled holes look to be around 3/8 inch diameter, roughly centered in the bulkheads, and the hole through the grommets about 1/8 diameter. Not only that, but the cockpit-side of the grommets are cone-shaped, a half-inch tall or so.
I guess this scheme allows a bigger-than-usual air hole though with less likelihood of water getting through. Apparently it was important to somebody to do it this way.
Mike
Or maybe those are…
… just what the local hardware/marine store had.
Whatever the reason, seems like overkill.
My other theory
is that they got tired of fielding complaints that the bulkheads had defective pinholes in them. Whatever the value of this arrangement, at least it does look intentional.
Mike
Yes, there can be a clear benefit…
… to overkill in terms of customer perceptions and downstream customer relations!
More than worth the two small bits of rubber - needed or not. Still, you can bet it’s a standard boat or automotive wiring grommet - nothing custom.
Do they look anything like this common item used for passing wires though boat bulkheads?:
http://www.sceptermarine.com/sites/scepter_marine/images/160x/160_universalgrommet.jpg
“Made of Neoprene rubber. Fits in 3/8” opening; 5/16" I.D., 1/2" UF., 5/8" long". Sounds like and exact size match, except maybe I.D. There’s also an identical solid plug that could be drilled smaller. Prices are like $.60 to $2.00 depending on source. In bulk figure a good bit cheaper. UK would have same or similar stuff easily available and similarly cheap.
Why not just give each customer
a package of GasX with the boat, and tell them to throw in a dose before closing the hatch?
Similar
but with material on both sides of bigger diameter than the hole in the bulkhead (please excuse the backlighting on one of these, but you get the idea):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/mhackett/boat/IMG_4459s.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/mhackett/boat/IMG_4461s.jpg
In any case, surely it is an off-the-shelf part, yes. The interesting (yeah, right…) thing is the decision to implement it.
Mike
36 replies – HA
55 and counting.
I sure hope CD1 didn’t misread the thread and decide to drill the bulkheads on his sectional.
This has been a real problem
and I have wondered if perhaps a drain hole or two would be a good solution. Why don’t companies do this? I mean who wants to sit down in cold or hot water as the case may be? After all, there can be lots of water in some seat pans. A dealer told me to use a sponge. Jeez, what a stupid low tech solution…what is needed is proper drainage so I can just get in the boat a paddle.
Why should I have to worry about excess seat pan water.
Thanks for raising this issue.
cool doc
you’re king of the trolls!
I bow down to you
They know Jay!
Manufacturers do indeed know, but trying to explain the tiny holes to a consumer that will assume vast flooding etc, makes it not worth it for some. I suspect P&H’s strategy with the uneeded “valve” is to “legitimize” the effect with consumers. (smart of them) We all know, as do they, that a simple small hole does the trick.
I suspect as well manufacturers figure a smart consumer can take care of this in 30 seconds with a drill and small bit??? Easier that than someone having to plug a hole they are terrified of.
I hear ya
My kayak blew up yesterday in the heat, like a bloated roadkill.
I’m wondering why i would ever want to trust it on the water.