I’d like to get less water leaking into the cockpit between the skirt and cockpit rim when edging. Has anyone tried running self-adhesive minicell weatherstripping around the flat part of the cockpit rim which seals to the skirt bungie? I’m thinking of the same kind of weatherstripping material used under some hatch covers. Seems like it would improve the sealing of the skirt. Any experience or ideas?
Weather-stripping
I don’t think it would hold up for very long. A better fitting high quality skirt should work better… What boat?
Neoprene skirt
A properly fitted spray skirt with neoprene deck would seal better.
Already using a neoprene skirt
I have a snug fitting Snapdragon skirt. It has a sewn bungie though, not rubber rand. On a Tempest 165 composite, the cockpit combing is rather low on the side of the boat, and it can get submerged when edging. The skirt is of course loosest at the sides of the boat. It’s only a minor source of leakage, but it would be nice not to be sitting in water when it gets cold and I’m not rolling. I thought maybe a 3/4" or 1" wide strip of thin marine weatherstrip around the vertical surface of the combing might produce a better seal.
snapdragon skirt
is the bungie sewn directly to the skirt or is there a nylon sleeve involved? I had a Snapdragon with the bungie in a nylon sleeve and it was a leaker. Just for the heck of it check out those tyvek like skirts that Springriver sells. Maybe another snapdragon cut exactly to the shape of the coaming? Out of curiosit is it a composite tempest? I paddled in a composite T165 that had a leaky skeg slider.
Just a sewn-in bungie
I haven’t seen the other type on a Snapdragon. And yes, the skeg slider was the major source of water when I did a “leak test” yesterday. I’m not sure what glue to use on the slider – maybe start with Goop? Another tricky leak on both my composite Tempests is that the top of the bulkhead between the cockpit and dayhatch is not fully sealed. When you’re upside down, water runs from the cockpit into the day hatch. More Goop, Lexel, 3M? Great boat despite a few minor glitches. Surprisingly, the hatch covers themselves were water tight.
Might be the skirt
My Snapdragon has never leaked much on either my plastic or composite boat, and it only has the sewn-in bungee. I’ve never been a fan of rubber rands on composites, but you may like it.
Rubber rands
As far as I know, the rubber rands have too much force to use on a composite boat (that is, it could fracture the fiber glass).
Usually, the skeg cable is encased in a plastic tube to keep the water out. Is there a tube in this boat?
skeg slider
the T165 I saw had the plastic recess pull away from the deck slot it was sitting in leaving a 1/8"x2" slot. Where most other manufacturers have a glassed recess, the composite Tempest has a slot cut in the deck with a splastic “trough” for the slider assembly. I’m assuming the leak Dave is speaking of is the one I saw in a demo boat where the plastic trough was bowed in and pulled away from the glass. The plastic piece and the glass deck are too dissimilar and I’m assuming under high heat the plastic just warped in.
Then again Dave might be talking about a leak through the slider tube.
Seals skirt
I have a Kokatat Off-Shore Extreme skirt that I love, unfortunately it let in a trckle of water whenever the coaming was under water. I just bought (from GRO) an al neo Valley skirt (made by Seals) that does not allow any water in when the coaming is submerged.
That’s it exactly
It’s the skeg slider “trough” that separates from the hull. At least all the little glitches among the Tempests are highly consistent so you know what to expect and how to fix it. While I’m “picking on” the Tempest, another consistent flaw is that the plastic skeg warps. Just try holding a straight edge along one. I’ll repeat though, that still highly recommend the Tempest over similar boats (I know you like the Chatam, Lee).
that skirt?
Would that happen to be for an Avocet?
actually
I paddled the Tempest 165 in glass and liked it a lot with my fat 200lbs, the 170 felt too big. Funny thing is that I’m selling the Chatham18 even though it’s a good design I’d like something with a bit more rocker and I’ll trade less down wave surfing security that it affords.
I’d guess anything from 5200 to Lexcel to Marine Goop would work to seal the slider piece,just wash out the salt and dirt beforehand.