Yak Leak Test

Today I called Malibu Kayaks and told them about my experience of my Stealth 9 taking on lots of water Saturday on San Pablo Bay.  The sales rep called a tech specialist to the phone and he asked me if the rubber gaskets on all the hatches were in place and intact.  I told him that they were.  He suggested that I test the hull and hatches for leaks.  I put the yak on sawhorses and blocked up the sides then filled the hull to above the usual water line.  No water leaked out so apparently there are no cracks or holes in the hull.  Next I plugged the scupper holes and filled the seat and leg depressions.  The live bait well hatch leaked like a seive which I expected because it closes very easily.  However water can't leak from the bait well into the hull so that wasn't the main source of taking on water.  After I removed the bait well plug and drained it I tilted the yak to starboard and again filled the seat and leg depressions.  I put my ear to the side of the yak and could hear water seeping through the starboard side hatch.  After about 10 minutes I pulled the scupper plugs then tipped the yak on its aft.  A steady stream of water ran out of the aft drain hole for about 10 seconds.  I estimate that it was about a half gallon.  I did the same for the port side and water ran out for about 20 seconds, or about a gallon.  Then I submerged the 8" round front hatch for about 10 minutes.  Draining produced about a pint of water.  So the primary culprits are the side hatches.  On Saturday I was on the water for about an hour before I capsized so there was time for several gallons of water to enter the hull.  And with that much water inside it's not surprising that I couldn't right the yak by lifting it.  I would appreciate advice on the best method of reducing the leakage through the hatches.  I have heard of using closed cell weather stripping, silicone, goop, etc.

You should fill the kayak hull full of water and look for where it leaks out.
Do you have the live well plumbed? And was it running the other day on SBP? I've seen the live wells on stealth's pump so much water that it comes out the top instead of the front drains. If it comes out of the top it goes directly into the side hatches. You wind up pumping your kayak full of water.
Are your side hatches bolted or riveted? Mine were bolted and had a seal on both the lid and the rim.
How old is the kayak?
If anything is riveted on there go ahead and drill em out. Pull the hatches off and reinstall them with lots of goop. Then bolt them back on.

These have a long history of leakage.  I believe they offer a "double gasket upgrade" to "solve" the problem ... or slow it down.  The result is those two hatches protruding up about a 1/8 to 3/16" above flush.

I had the same problem.  I contacted Malibu.  In a nutshell, their customer service sucked.  They didn't do anything to help.  Their design is flawed and they don't care.

Here's what I found: The deck hatches all leak.  The bait well fills up but it can't get in the hull.  The side hatches leak because they have a hard gasket and the latches that lock the hatches down have no camming action so the gasket is never compressed.

I removed the entire hatch assembly on both sides and put a bead of silicone then reinstalled the hatches.  I built up a layer of silicone on the mating surface where the hatch meets the gasket.  It may have helped a little.

The solution is to not take the kayak in rough water because it's not made for rough water, if you do try to keep water off the deck.  Or you can seal the hatches.  The double gasket may work, but without an eccentric or cam style latches there is no way to compress the gasket.

I still cant believe you took a 9 foot boat out into SPB in those conditions.  In all reality, unless you only weigh like 150 pounds, those conditions and with that much water coming onto the boat you way overdid the capabilities of the boat.
it sounds like your boat has an awful lot of hatches and that contributes to leakage for sure, perhaps try making some silicone gaskets for those side hatches and live well.
I want to add that though the live well is segregated from the rest of the hull, once full of water you are carrying around a lot of weight right in the middle of the boat...
Honestly though, if rough water is your thing, you might want to invest in a bigger boat.

Just my thoughts, and I hope you get it all worked out and back on the water safely.

You should fill the kayak hull full of water and look for where it leaks out.
Do you have the live well plumbed? And was it running the other day on SBP? I've seen the live wells on stealth's pump so much water that it comes out the top instead of the front drains. If it comes out of the top it goes directly into the side hatches. You wind up pumping your kayak full of water.
Are your side hatches bolted or riveted? Mine were bolted and had a seal on both the lid and the rim.
How old is the kayak?
If anything is riveted on there go ahead and drill em out. Pull the hatches off and reinstall them with lots of goop. Then bolt them back on.

I didn't fill the hull completely because I was concerned that the weight might damage the yak.  I do not have the live well plumbed so no water was being pumped from the well to the side hatches.  The hatches were factory installed and are screwed into molded receptacles.  I bought the yak new about 6 months ago and have paddled on it about a dozen times.  I have noticed some leakage before but nothing like Saturday.  I don't think that the hatches are leading where they contact the yak; I think the leaking is all taking place between the hatch and the hatch lid.

These have a long history of leakage.  I believe they offer a "double gasket upgrade" to "solve" the problem ... or slow it down.  The result is those two hatches protruding up about a 1/8 to 3/16" above flush.

Thanks for the tip; I will call them back, tell them about the leakage, and ask for the upgrade.

I had the same problem.  I contacted Malibu.  In a nutshell, their customer service sucked.  They didn't do anything to help.  Their design is flawed and they don't care.

Here's what I found: The deck hatches all leak.  The bait well fills up but it can't get in the hull.  The side hatches leak because they have a hard gasket and the latches that lock the hatches down have no camming action so the gasket is never compressed.

I removed the entire hatch assembly on both sides and put a bead of silicone then reinstalled the hatches.  I built up a layer of silicone on the mating surface where the hatch meets the gasket.  It may have helped a little.

The solution is to not take the kayak in rough water because it's not made for rough water, if you do try to keep water off the deck.  Or you can seal the hatches.  The double gasket may work, but without an eccentric or cam style latches there is no way to compress the gasket.

Thanks for the info.  I will remove the side hatches like you did and put in a bead of silicone.  I will install the double gaskets and see how that affects the leakage.  If the leakage is still substantial I won't take the yak out  if I expect any water to come over the top side.

I still cant believe you took a 9 foot boat out into SPB in those conditions.  In all reality, unless you only weigh like 150 pounds, those conditions and with that much water coming onto the boat you way overdid the capabilities of the boat.
it sounds like your boat has an awful lot of hatches and that contributes to leakage for sure, perhaps try making some silicone gaskets for those side hatches and live well.
I want to add that though the live well is segregated from the rest of the hull, once full of water you are carrying around a lot of weight right in the middle of the boat...
Honestly though, if rough water is your thing, you might want to invest in a bigger boat.

Just my thoughts, and I hope you get it all worked out and back on the water safely.

Thanks for your input.  Rough water isn't really my thing.  The swells were 2-3 feet but the frequency was about 5 seconds so a little water was occasionally coming over the top; I guess it accumulated so gradually that I didn't notice how much water the yak was taking on, especially when I reached the fishing area which was fairly calm and no water was coming over the top.  Yes I realize that if the bait well is full of water it adds a lot to the total weight.  You may be right about the boat being too small for my weight (about 190 pounds) and the conditions.  Its listed capacity is 325 pounds and I was nowhere near that; perhaps 250 pounds with all my gear.  But the water I took on probably pushed the total weight to about 325 pounds or more.  I will seriously consider getting a boat with a larger load capacity and less potential for leakage.

Get another kayak and different brand.  Years ago I took a surf zone class at Monterey Bay Kayaks.  I was using a loaner OK Prowler 13 that had a lot use. 

It was a nasty February day which was good day to practice.  I rolled, practiced self rescue, braced at the surf zone for about 3 hours.  My yak was upside down lots of times.  It had less 2 gallons of water and still usable even after my class.  This loaner was in less than stellar condition and still help up fine.