Hobie Cat Forums

I can get a small foot-powered sump pump, which I thought I would mount in the foot well in front of the seat. It is made of a black plastic
(ABS?). But I don't want to anchor the pump housing with any penetrating objects like screws or bolts.
Hobie sells a repair glue/solvent which is compatible with the hull material. Would this work to hold the pump down?

It probably will, but what is the purpose of the pump?

Fishfinder - transducers are glued to the inside of the hull using marine goop

PF

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hobie Quest

I don't think goop will hold it.

Try West Systems GFlex.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/gflex/

How are you doing your pickup and dischage tubes to the interior of the hull?

Sounds like your sailing in rough weather when leaks can be experienced.

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I sail on a lake which is about 20 miles (30km) wide but only 30 ft (9m) max depth. Whenever the wind starts to blow, we get really rough chop which are very steep with short wave lengths. White caps usually form at wind speeds which exceed 10 mph. My sailing side of the lake is on the downwind side so I almost always encounter breaking waves. They, of course, are nothing like what you saltwater AI owners have to sail through. But because of the short wave lengths, I seem to bury the bow alot. My dodger helps, but not when I am sailing abeam to the waves.
I have encountered breaking waves which were about 6 feet high with wavelengths of about 50 ft. (For an inland lake...really rough going!)

To answer the question about the sump pump...the foot pump sits quite flat and low...it would have both inlet and outlet facing toward the stern. Water tends to collect at the stern. I thought about drilling two small holes behind the 'footwell', using 'thru-hull fittings. The inlet tube would be connected to a small flat-bottomed sump with grill (I was told that it is capable of sucking even a thin film of water)...and the outlet would be connected to a 'thru-hull' fitting near the stern with a one-way 'ball-valve' to keep lake water from entering the fitting. I didn't want to drill screw holes on the footwell floor for the pump.

I have noticed that some sea kayaks have 'venturi scuppers' built into
the hulls. Forward movement supposedly causes a suction to be created which pulls water out. Does this work? Does water shoot back into the hull when a wave comes from astern?

Titalwave,

Here is a reply to Tom Ray which I wrote then removed when I realized we needed your reply first. Here is what I wrote:

Tom! These boats leak! I have considered a sump pump, but I seem to be slowly getting the leak(s) down to managable size. Individuals may have individual problems, but the twist-n-seal hatch covers are a problem. Very easy to get sand, etc, all over the seal. Very easy for the rubberized large O-ring seal to twist and not seal. When that happens in 1-2' chop or higher, you will have serious water in your hull. The longer you are on the water, the more water in the hull. Very simple and very bad.

It is hard to keep these seals clean (& lubricated w/ silicone) on camping trips. Big hassle when you most need to keep water out of the hull.

I strongly recommend to Hobie--I assume Matt Miller is reading this--that they come up with an alternative cover for the round hatches which, while perhaps not so covenient to open, closes w/ a tight seal. These could be offered at extra cost, if Hobie insists on sticking w/ the twist-n-seal.

Such alternative hatch covers can be seen at
http://www.atlantickayaktours.com/pages/Retail/Parts-Repair/Hatch-Covers.shtml

End of my post to Tom.

Keith

(This is all prefaced w/ the question: Tidalwave, isn't the lake you sail on covered with ice? Or has global warming had that much effect on MN?)

Tidalwave,

Before you buy and install a sump pump, please do the following:
(1) Tighten all the screws around the mast fitting and the Twist-n-Seal hatch covers.
(2) Seal ALL the through screws, bolts, etc, which you or Hobie put in the hull, with marine goop so they don't leak (test all these thru openings by spraying water from your hose on them),
(3) then you need to test the twist-n-seal hatch covers. Clean the T-n-S hatch covers perfectly. Be sure the rubberized large O-ring is clean AND NOT TWISTED. Spray it w/ silicone lubricant.
(4) Test the T-n-S hatches by elevating the rear of your kayak 6-10", and directing a good spray of water from your hose onto the T-n-S hatch covers. With a lower (downrun) hatch cover open, you can see if any water is coming in from the upper hatch.
(5) When you are confident you have done all you can do to prevent water from entering your hull through the obvious openings, then, when you have a good chop on your lake, test your whole system.
(5) Report your test(s) on this forum. Thanks!

That may sound like a lot, but it may save you installing a sump pump AND putting access/exit tubing holes in your hull.

Keith

I have noticed that some sea kayaks have 'venturi scuppers' built into
the hulls. Forward movement supposedly causes a suction to be created which pulls water out. Does this work? Does water shoot back into the hull when a wave comes from astern?

I had one in an ocean rowing shell. You depressed it so it opened when underway. Drained perfectly.

When you stopped water would flood in. So you just pulled it close.

I can see this working inside a sea kayak where you are sitting inside the hull with access to the mechanism. Don't know how it work with a Hobie as far as the open close mechanism. You wouldhave to some kind of rigid pull up/depression device A rod maybe?

I appreciate your lake problems. Got caught out on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans once. Waves can build rapidly in shallow water even with a short fetch.

Sand is a killer on the twist & stow. Generally I have to remove gasket about evry third trip and clean it. Use silicon lube after cleaning off. Pretty quick operation to do it.

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Every 3-4 months, I hookup the exhaust from a small shopvac to the drain hole of my AI's (using a piece of drip irrigation pipe, with the end split to form a nozzle). The front hatch releases any extra air so it's not a problem. Using soapy water and a sponge, I clean the hull while looking for leaks (bubbles). Just a little bit of tightening of a few of the 100 (?) hull connections (screws, bolts, & plastic parts) makes a difference of a couple of gal. of water in the hull on a average outing for us.

Kayaking Bob

Yes, my lake (Mille Lacs) is essentially covered by ice now, it had ice a mile out in Mid-November...the wind is blowing at about 10 knots, temperature 10 degrees F, wind chill...don't even think about it!
I have only about five months of the year to enjoy sailing the lake (more if I owned a dry suit)...so the other 7 months, I putter around my boats
in a heated garage. I usually end up adding things to them or moving parts to where I wished the factory had put them.
I can't wait to try out my bungee barberhaul (I have the parts to use
sheets and blocks if the bungee doesn't work), my spray shield and trampoline fabrics are being shipped Monday, I am putting together
a couple of cylindrical Ram-bases for mounting my digital and HD video cameras. (not sure if I want the mounts to be low or hinged to swing out so I can take pictures of myself...the Kayak Fishing Stuff forum has some great ideas for camera mounts)

If I lived in Florida I would be out every day I could.

If you lived in Florida, you would still have weeds that need killing.

You guys must be having more trouble with leakage than I am. The most water I have found in either of our boats was maybe a cup or two, and that was after raging around in a passing tropical storm.