[Paddlewise] Chasing Leaks

Got a leak into the cockpit of my vintage 1993 Eddyline Wind Dancer, via the
side seam, **I think.**  I'm looking for help from others who have chased this
kind of leak.  Kind of a long story, perhaps for those who like a puzzle.

Water appears in the cockpit only when the yak is heavily loaded and I paddle
it through very rough water.  No leaks on flat water, and minimal leakage when
lightly loaded and paddled in rough water.  I am certain the water does not
enter via the sprayskirt or at the coaming/sprayskirt juncture. (no water on me
or gear under those places).

I had thought the entry point was via the rudder cable channel, which runs
through an "H"-shaped plastic extrusion Eddyline uses to keep the two halves of
the yak in registration when they are married in fabrication.  The inside of
the seam joining top and bottom is covered with a healthy strip of mat and lots
of resin -- and appears to be intact in the cockpit region.  The only hole in
that seam is at the point where the rudder cable enters the cockpit.  (BTW, no
leakage into either forward or aft bulkheaded compartment.)

So I injected water into the rudder cable rear entry, with the yak more or less
on its side, and looked for water entering the cockpit at the other end of the
cable (about where my hips are, re:  fore and aft).  A very **small** of water
appeared.  Humph.  Can that be the source?  I get a quart or so of water over
an hour of paddling.  Seems like there must be another source.

Then I set the yak right side up and injected water along the top of the
H-shaped extrusion, outside the hull, 'cause I could see the extrusion was not
bonded to the seam-making mat/resin there.  Nothing at the rudder cable hole. 
But, what's this?  Some water appeared forward ... more or less at the position
of the screws which hold my rudder pedal track on that side.

Tightened all those screws and tried the same water injection, same site, and
could not see any more water inside.  So I put a couple gallons inside the yak
and rolled it back and forth over the areas I had just tested and looked for
water outside the hull.  None.  Have I fixed this thing?

Anybody had this problem on an Eddyline ... and identified the source of the
leak?

Anybody got suggestions for other tests?

Thanks for the help.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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