I noticed some water sloshing around in my SOT this afternoon as I put it away. The boat is not old at all - I got it new in the beginning of this year. I don’t abuse it, either.
I looked for small cracks or something but found nothing. Could the water be entering from the factory installed eyelets (for lack of proper term that secures the bungee cord to the boat).
anybody have some insight for me?
SOT are notorious for leaking in the
scupper holes if there is a seam there.Very hard to find the spot.
Probably…
as you suspect. Does the SOT have a hatch? (Another possible area for leaking.) Open the hatch, put some water into the hull, put the boat in different positions to see where the water leaks out. You can dap marine goop or silicone over the screws or rivets to reduce leaking.
sing
probably not from pad eyes
It would take a looonnnggg time for water to build up inside the kayak if it were only leaking through the pad eyes. I’ve got pad eyes and rod holders mounted all over my kayak and never had water sloshing around in my boats. I never seal them off either.
What kind of kayak do you have? If it is a scupper then most likely it will be a warranty issue that can be handled through your dealer.
finding leaks
I’ve found leaks in double-hull boats by slightly pressurizing the hull of the boat (just a pound or two), and spraying soapy water all over the outside of the boat. Works like a charm.
You can rig something up to your drain-hole with a scavenged innertube stem, and a manual bike pump.
ARE YOUR HATCHES TIGHT?
– Last Updated: Nov-20-09 3:02 PM EST –
That's really the number one culprit when it comes to leaks like the symptoms you present.
Sure, water can -and does -enter through the attachment points for eyes and straps, but not in the volumes you describe. And yes, you'll get water in through holes and seam leaks like those described above.
But look to your hatches first, then move down the checklist.
Depending on the leak, you can fairly easily plastic-weld it to excellent water-tightness with some PE and heat -I fixed a 2" X 3/8" slice in a rental SOT hull a few years back that way -using a baggie as the added material, and a cigar torch for the heat. That repair lasted the the life of the boat -I know, even tho' I told them about what had happened, and encouraged them to do a proper plastic weld, they just left it as is -and I went back several times and checked the dang thing out, and it was still OK, no water in the boat.
BTW, FYI, FWIW, it's "SOT", not "sot"...
So check your hatches, then perform the leak test, and then fix your boat, so when you're next ready, you can happily -and dryly within the hull
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
A sot is an old,drunk paddler.
someone call me?
Paul
I’ve found two small holes
using the soap technique and a leaf blower.
Just soap up the boat where it’s likely to have leaks (or everywhere) and poke a leafblower into the hatch and watch for the bubbles.
One time it was a scupper hole that had failed. The other it was at a seam on a glass boat.
jim
Padeye leaks are very common
– Last Updated: Nov-21-09 10:53 AM EST –
It depends on the kind of kayak and how it is used but leaks through padeyes are very common and let quite a bit of water into the boat, if waves slosh over the area. Easy to fix.
Next most common leak is around the rivets holding hatches and hatches that don't seal properly. Easy to fix.
Some brands have issues with pin hole leaks in the scupper holes (a while ago Ocean Kayak was having problems) where the molding process did not work correctly. (If leak is through the scupper hole, take it back where you bought it and ask them to give you a different boat).
Did the scupper hole fail …
Wwen you started inflating with a leafblower …?