Leak proofing

I took the new kayak (Malibu Stealth) out this weekend for a flat water trial on Berryessa.
 
I stood and buried both rails right where the side hatches are, before I hulied over the side. Sure enough they sucked in some water; enough to be concerned about. The small compartment on the side was at least half way full. Flooding in a little side compartment isn’t a huge deal, but the port locker goes right down into the hull space…
 
On closer inspection three of the rivets (on the starboard hatch) didn’t have the metal post in them, additionally I can’t help but wonder if the gasket that is supposed to seal the fit between the hatch cover trim and the deck is not seated properly.

The center hatch also didn't seat properly at all...so no way that this woudl be a good place to keep anything expected to stay dry.
 
Long story short is there a good place to pick up rivets locally? Would Home DePot sell them? I was planning on drilling them out and reseating the hatches/gaskets with 5200 then using Goop to bed the rivets before popping them back in.
 
I should have a cheap rivet gun laying around some place. Should I upgrade? It looks like a lot you use the one that the Depot sells, and I believe that is where I got mine back in the day.

I have a lot more experience workign with fiberglass than with poly, so any suggestions or alternative solutions would be appreciated.

you talking blind rivets or traditional ones? If you use reg ones make sure they are alum and you'll want a washer (alum) on the back side. If you are talking blind rivets (the ones that sread out in a 3 point star you can get them at aquan (san carlos), outback adven. (two locations) and just about any paddle shop. You can also order them from Hook1. Any old rivet gun will work. I use the cheap-o HD one and it works fine.

Wow, I'm disappointed at the leaking hatches.  I checked out the stealth before buying my X-Factor (same hull) and decided it wasn't for me, since I didn't want a livewell, and you couldn't fit a rod inside that side hatch.  I too noticed they used rivets instead of normal stainless hardware for the hatches, which didn't make sense to me since they were easy to reach. 

I definitely got water inside the hull when flipping over (MBK Saftey Class) and need to investigate that further.  Thinking of trying to beef up the seal on my center hatch, but will look closely at the rivets too and see if they are a source of leakage.

Btw, did your stealth come with foam blocks on the inside? 

There is no foam floatation in it. The leak was pretty serious, so I took it back.  The side hatches themselves seemd pretty watertight, it was the seal between the hatch trim and they deck that leaked.

 It paddled great...

Side hatch compartment after running a hose over it and letting the water sit:


Pic of the inside with water leaking into the hull:

I am not too familar with that model but from the pics you have a nice leak.
It looks like there is another hatch right next to the one that is leaking.
If that is the case what I would do is drill out the rivets on the leaking hatch, goop the hell out of all the holes and the seal between the hatch and hull and replace the rivets with stainless steel nuts, washers and bolts.
If it isn't that much of a concern to you you might just want to run a bead of goop around the hatch and over the rivets.
But that's not a solution; more like a band-aid.

Glad you took it back and Very Smart of you taking it on a test spin could have had disastrous results on the big blue.
I think manufacturers that sell boats without any flotation should be required to test them before they leave the factory.

I think you should defiantly contact Malibu and ask them what's up and what are they are going to do about it, and make them aware that you posted pictures here. Maybe put the name of the Kayak in your subject line so anyone surfing the net will see your pictures and hopfully a response from Malibu. I know some boats leak more than others but that picture shows negligence.

I have always worried about the big front hatch on my X-Factor leaking but it is the driest boat I have ever paddled never get more than a couple ounces in it. On a test paddle I paddled for aprox an hour with every other wave breaking the full lenth oh the boat and I rolled it big time in the surf and it was totally dry inside which amazed me.

 

  Wow,damn you do have a leaky hull!  I recently sealed up all my hatches on my OB.  All my hatches are attached with pemnuts? (Wellnuts?) (Lost the name of them )  There are a few screws that extend into the hull as well, and all were removed, the hatch opening were then lined with silicon, and the hatch pieces were put back in and the excess silicon was wiped such that it sealed the hatch & hull together (Filling the gap between them) on the exterior of the hull.

  I too, am not familiar with that hull, but I suspect once you start your sealing, you'll fix it.

Troy

Thanks for the input but I was over it...this was a brand new kayak; if I had it for a few years and this had happened I would have taken the time to fix it. However, two hatches on a brand new kayak was cause for concern in my book. Besides one looked out of alignment anyway..

I took it back and got a Prowler Trident 15 Angler w/ a rudder.

I had my trident 15 out today in snotty conditions.  Rolled it on launch, buried the nose a bunch of times in swells and had my cockpit completely flooded 3 times.  After landing I looked in the hull and had a tiny amount of water. A sponge would have been all it took to suck up the water.  I also weight in at a slim 270.  I love this yak

I took it back and got a Prowler Trident 15 Angler w/ a rudder.

Nice.  You won't regret that decision.

I can't wait to try it out.

Went flyfishing on the Truckee this weekend, so next weekend will be about fishing this thing.

I had my trident 15 out today in snotty conditions.  Rolled it on launch, buried the nose a bunch of times in swells and had my cockpit completely flooded 3 times.  After landing I looked in the hull and had a tiny amount of water. A sponge would have been all it took to suck up the water.  I also weight in at a slim 270.  I love this yak

I weigh what you weigh PLUS Jessica Alba  on my back and I'm still dry in my T-15 too! I've pearled it, danced with 4 foot freighter wakes criss/crossing mega-yacht wakes in the San Joaquin, never even got more than a Coke can full of water in the hull, and I deflect a lot of Tupperware.  T-15 ALL the WAY!

I live in South Florida but decided to join the forum because of this post. My brother and I bought the same kayak, Malibu Stealth 12 and are having the same issues. I have purchased weather stripping for the front hatch as well as drill out all 32 rivets on both hatches and seal them with Marine Goop but that still didn't help, I take on excessive water everytime I paddle even in flat water. I am in conversations right now to see if Malibu will do anything about it but so far they haven't seemed too willing to help other than sending some straps and rivets.

I am really upset with this purchase and have already sank a mile offshore because of this manufactureing defect . Luckily we were rescued by a passing vessel that helped us get to shore or who knows what could have happened. I made the choice to try and fix the problem rather than return it immediately like I should have. Now I have made enough modifications that the manufacturers warranty is void but I am still going to fight this since I still have my brother's kayak that hasn't been modified at all.

BUYER BEWARE! DO NOT BUY THE MALIBU STEALTH 12/14 KAYAKS, YOU WILL SINK!

(Maybe thats why they called it the Stealth, because it rides UNDER water) 

did you fill the hull with water and flip it over to find out where the leaks are?  are they in the hatches or at the rivet points?  I would imagine if your entire hull is filling up with water it is likely a fairly large leak, or possibly a crack somewhere?

Oh yes, I did numerous tests filling it up with water and flooding the top of it. The pictures that were posted above are exactly what it looks like when I have water flowing over the top of the side hatches. I tested the scupper holes and they are not cracked or letting water in/out. It is fairly obvious that the side hatches allow a great deal of water in, and when you get on and off the kayak in deep water, its almost impossible to do so with out dipping the side of the yak underwater. It could be rivet points I guess but what difference does it really make. It isn't water tight from the factory or after sealing it with Marine Goop so there is something wrong with the design. I am certainly not going to spend another dime trying to get their product up to the level of quality it should've been when we bought them. I seriously regret buying this thing and I hope I am not going to be out the $1000.