In a message dated 1/30/00 10:21:38 AM Pacific Standard Time, rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com writes: << Plastic kayaks have leak-susceptible bulkheads. No matter what the manufacturers say, they can leak (perhaps that is too blanket a statement). You should always use airbags in any plastic kayak regardless of the presence of bulkheads. >> Sea Kayakers, The bulkheads in the plastic VCP Skerray I recently sold didn't leak, and they where the welded in plastic type. The bulkheads in my plastic Necky Looksha IV don't leak either. Like a lot of other plastic kayaks, the bulkheads in the Looksha are 3" closed cell foam with sealant around the edges. By the way, my fiberglass Necky Arluk II and fiberglass Northwest Seascape have the exact same type of bulkheads, and these fiberglass hulls flex as much as the plastic Looksha. The Seascape bulkheads are starting to leak, because the sealant is old. I will have to reseal it soon. Whether your kayak is plastic or fiberglass, you may occasionally have to perform maintenance on the bulkheads in them. The only reason plastic kayaks may have leaking bulkheads more often is because of the abuse these kayaks take. Many of them are very old and have been stacked, sat on, stored improperly, and left out side to weather and bake in the sun, while fiberglass kayaks are treated like precious china. All kinds of kayaks have leaking problems. There were recent posts on this list about an all mighty fiberglass Romany having a leaking skeg box, and there have been some posts about leaking seams in a variety fiberglass kayaks. On the crossings I made in my plastic kayak last year, I didn't use air bags for back up flotation. I did have a couple water proof bags I used to make sure my sleeping bag and clothes stayed dry from typical hatch leakage, but they weren't for and wouldn't have provided much extra flotation. I won't be using air bags on the crossings I have planned in my plastic kayak this year either. However, back up flotation probably isn't a bad idea in any sea kayak, whether it be plastic or fiberglass. Plastic kayaks, and the bulkheads in them, don't deserve the bad rap they keep getting. Duane Strosaker Defender of Plastic Kayaks! <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/pirateseakayaker/index.html">Pirate Sea Kayaker</A> *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Apologies to Duane for my beins so strident regarding the bulkheads on plastic boats. But I have seen too many failures to just sit on my hands and say "that's nice." Some of the bulkheads on those boats do hold up if the boat is babied, maybe. But as Duane indicates some are abused. And it is a selling point of plastic boats that they can be abused and not suffer. So, dragging them across logs and bumpy rocky beaches, etc. will quickly get the bulkhead's sealant to separate from the walls of the kayak and cause leaks. As for the VCP Skerray, it was touted as having leakproof bulkheads because of the welding. A local outfitter bought one to see how it would work in his fleet. I happened to spend a weekend on two of their day tours. On the end of the second day, when we went to empty water out of the cockpit of the touring fleet, we kept getting water at the bottom. Discounting the possibility of miraculous water apparitions, we opened up a hatch and found the rear compartment full of water that was feeding into the cockpit though a slightly separated bulkhead. I stand by my statement that airbags to provide for extra flotation are a must on any plastic boat, and, of course, folding kayaks as well. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:08 PDT