Malibu Stealth 12 - Top hatches leak

Hey this is just a little info tip that anyone thinking about purchasing this kayak. I have owned two of them, the first of which I swapped out with Malibu, and now the one I have now that I am returning for a refund. Theses kayaks are not meant to ever take water on the deck. Sean Caples the CEO himself who actually takes credit for this design tells me that it is not intended to be a "wet deck" so make sure you don't paddle in anything except very calm flat water. If you get stuck out in some wind where a chop kicks up then you are going to be in trouble. So he contradicts himself when he says this is an ocean going boat since I have yet to see an ocean that stays flat all the time. Although I will say you are very good at PR Sean, you cover your ass nicely.

Take a look at this video here and decide for yourself:



I would love to hear from the kayaking community on this and tell me if you think a kayak of this type, advertised the way it is should have top hatches that take on this much water into the kayak.

Ummm yeah. I would return it as well. That last one (green) really had a good amount of water in it. I can't imagine that was an O.K. result from a design aspect. One wold assume in rough seas you'd get that much water on board. And in seas like that the last think you'd want to do is open a hatch and pump out the water. The have some cool features. But being water tight should be standard.

Sorry to hear....

I know the original batch of Stealth 12s had leaky hatches. But I thought they fixed the problem. Seems like they just need new seals/gaskets.
Either way, I am sooo glad I didn't buy a Stealth (it was on sale at one of the local dealers when I was looking for a new boat last year).

Damn I was so close to buying , I was just going to post to see any comments on this model. I guess I will get the X-Factor instead

I just wanted to add a little update to this... In response to this forum post I received a rude and almost harassing voicemail message on my cell phone from Sean Caples, President and CEO of Malibu kayaks. After cursing me and calling me several names that I will not repeat here he proceeded to say that I took his words out of context. Well of course I did, but you did in fact say those words "wet deck" so please feel free to elaborate on this to the kayak community, or if you wish leave me another long winded message on my phone so I can record it and post on here so that everyone knows what a pompus jerk they will be dealing with if they decide to go with Malibu kayaks.

A points I will outline here, after that everyone else can make their own decisions.

1. Yes Malibu refunded my money, but also felt it necessary to explain to me that I was not using the kayak for its intended use. Instead of doing what any other GOOD company would do and take it as customer feedback and try to make corrections to future products so it does actually live up to its advertising.

2. Sean you keep telling me how this kayak has more features and is a better design than any other kayak on the market. But what you fail to recognize is that none of that matters if the kayak takes on water.

3. You criticize my methods of water testing however any kayaker that watches that video knows full well that these tests are valid and anyone that is considering taking this kayak offshore would probably think twice about that after seeing this video so whether you admit it or not, it was very effective. You mentioned using a bilge pump a few times but again I am starting to wonder if you have ever taken a kayak out in rough conditions because if you open a hatch in 2 ft waves, you are asking for a disaster. If I have to install an automatic one in order to use the kayak the way you advertise, then I have a big problem with that too. Perhaps that should be standard equipment if you are going to continue to advertise this as an ocean going kayak. Otherwise you need to put in big bold letters that "THIS KAYAK IS MEANT FOR CALM WATER ONLY". 

4. Lastly and probably one of the most important points here. The manufacturer doesn't dictate the expectations for a type of kayak, the market does. So if you decide to design and sell a kayak that is a sit on top, polyethylene, costing $1k, advertised for fishing and diving then you are competing with all of the other kayaks in the same market. Those other kayaks such as Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident 13/15, Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120/140, or even Pelican International Strike series, do not have the kind of problems that the Stealth does. So you either clarify its use through advertising or correct the issue because the customers will ultimately decide its success.


If this is coming off as bitter well that's because I am but I am more concerned about making sure that no one else makes the same mistake I did. It could put you in a dangerous situation as I have heard from other Malibu Stealth customers since I posted this. One guy said he took on so much water while fishing in 1-2 ft. surf that his kayak flipped over while he had a shark on his line and he lost a $400 rod and reel setup because of it. You can make your own decision but I wouldn't recommend the Malibu Stealth because it is not sea worthy, I wouldn't recommend Malibu kayaks because the CEO cares more about protecting his ego than your safety.


If anyone wants to deal with a professional and reputable kayak retailer I would highly recommend OEX (www.kayakfishingsupplies.com), they showed me that they truly cared about my satisfaction.

Wow that seems a bit out of line. An unhappy customer me be better served with a little sugar. I had a similar experience with another vendor (mentioned quite often) on this site. I spent a good deal of money on an item and got a run around on shipping (said it shipped, then it was back ordered, etc) When I vented on the board he called me and did something similar to your experience.

I just spend my money elsewhere and tell other to do so as well.

I have been reading this forum for the last few days watching to see where it was going to go, and I've decided to step in and say something.

I am the sales manager for Malibu Kayaks, and although some may think myself or any reps from Malibu have posted on here or any other forum on this subject, I can assure you that none have.

This was an unfortunate situation. Yes the OP had a complaint, yes we refunded his money, yes we may not have handled the situation in the most professional manner, and yes it does make our company look bad. On behalf of Malibu Kayaks, I truly apologize for this unfortunate situation.

In regards to our Stealth line of kayaks, rest assured we are constantly making improvements to not only this line, but to rest of our line also, as is evident with the new 2010 versions of our Pro-Explorer and the Pro2Tandem. Yes the first initial batch of Stealth kayaks had some models that had issues with leaking through the hatches of Center Bait Tank System, which was unfortunate but have been addressed. The newer models have a redesigned hatch system that better protects against any leaks, and still offer the unique ability to store your live bait within the center hatch, and stand on the side hatches. We're very proud of this model, and wish that each every customer of ours who tries this model would be 100% satisfied, unfortunately that can never be the case, as each individual has their own personal preferences.

Anyone else who feel they may have issues with leaking on their Stealth kayak are welcome to contact me directly for support. We WILL take care of you, and make sure that you feel safe out there. We do ask you please consider the conditions you are taking your kayak out in, as any overly rough, stormy, dangerous conditions are not ideal for ANY kayak, not just our brand.

Once again, thank you all for your support, and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Josh Eck
Sales Manager
Malibu Kayaks
josh@malibukayaks.com
877-952-9257 ex. 104

Thanks for your reply Josh I have an X-Factor and 2 Mini-Xs and I'm very happy with them all, very dry boats especially the XF. I think the only minor complaint I have is the drain plugs on the mini's work fine just look really funky not having a base to screw into.

A question for you that seat support/fake scupper thingy on the XF what's it called,why use silicone to plug it and not plastic ???

Thanks for your reply Josh I have an X-Factor and 2 Mini-Xs and I'm very happy with them all, very dry boats especially the XF. I think the only minor complaint I have is the drain plugs on the mini's work fine just look really funky not having a base to screw into.

A question for you that seat support/fake scupper thingy on the XF what's it called,why use silicone to plug it and not plastic ???

Can you send me a picture?  I'm not sure what you're looking at.

josh@malibukayaks.com

Josh,

I'm curious if anything like a recall has been done on the defective models? I don't know if you've seen this
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=7167
or if that story applies, but that could have been fatal.

Ben

Josh,

I'm curious if anything like a recall has been done on the defective models? I don't know if you've seen this
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=7167
or if that story applies, but that could have been fatal.

Ben

That gentleman actually contacted us directly about his situation and admitted to user error in that case.  We are taking care of him right now.

From the other forms.

http://www.kayakanglermag.com/forum/19-sit-on-tops/1766-malibu-stealth-1214-major-leak.html?limit=20&start=20#2038