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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave: Having suffered frustration in finding leaks in a boat also joined by a "H" section vinyl extrusion, I suggest supporting the boat on cradles under the cockpit, and filling the cockpit with water. Watch for drips or worse. (Thought here: why not put some Condy's Crystals, potassium permanganate, in the water, and watch for purple drips... entertain the kids while you repair your boat.) Drips from one area of the H section extrusion do not necessarily mean the leak is there, as water can run along inside a way. If the extrusion is the problem, my solution was: 1. fully prepare the inside seam, sanding and acetone cleaning; 2.3" tape and epoxy the entire seam, second coat of epoxy to fill the weave; 3. fill the H seam on the outside of the boat with "Sikaflex", polyurethane sealant. My boat, however, does not have the rudder cable running inside the extrusion. This may add another infuriating leakage possibility. Good luck. Peter Treby 37* 42' S 145* 08' E *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave - you may have fixed your leak. Obviously, the next thing to do is to test-paddle the boat either in rough seas, or while doing some rolling-rescue practice. If you're still seeing water inside, (1) be sure your spray skirt is intact; little tears and/or slightly poor fit can let a lot of water in - (2) repeat the test you've already done, making sure the boat is dry on the outside. Have the spray skirt on securely, then s-l-o-w-l-y tip the boat to one side, all the way so that water comes up onto the spray skirt on the inside. hold it there for several seconds. Repeat on the other side. Be sure there's enough water in the boat so that water will reach everywhere you might have a leak. If there's any question that leakage might be coming from a forward or aft compartment, test these separately, but s-l-o-w-l-y rotate the boat all the way around, so that you're testing the seal of bulkhead to deck as well. A leak which looks minor during testing can let in a surprisingly large amount of water during a paddling session. If you're still getting significant leakage through your rudder mechanism, it's probably a good idea to call Eddyline and ask them how to proceed. There are several different ways to approach this problem, and they'll surely have had experience with it in the past. Bill Hansen Ithaca NY *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave - As so often happens, I forgot one of the most important things when I wrote my last post. Be absolutlely sure that the boat is very well supported when you do your tests. I know that you've already thought of this - but the spectre of a boat deforming under the stress of water inside it and poor support outside it gives me the shivers. It might not happen - but it's so easy to prevent.... Bill Hansen Ithaca NY *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I found a leak in our Heritage Nomad by pressurizing it with a shop vac then using soapy water. I duct taped some cardboard in place of a hatch and punched a hole for the shop vac tube. With the tube on the blower side I turned on the vac and quickly found that I needed to enlarge the hole to vent some of the excess pressure. After trying again, I soaped every suspicious spot and immediately found the problem. I found some other smaller leaks in the rear bulkhead as well. Bill *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I do Bill, even more if I do this getting straight into a warm boat. I have a really tight palm skirt and when I put my dark boat (until I paint it next week) off the car top and onto hot sand, launch it and tip, it seems to suck water in which I attribute to the change of the air pressure. Happen a lot less on cooler days. There is a noticeable depression on the deck of the skirt as as the air inside the cockpit cools down right side up. otherwise, I do get a tiny bit of leakage in the combing in any event over time. Bill Hansen wrote: > > Evan writes, RE: leak in Eddyline kayak, after careful testing <I more or > less (by process of elimination) concluded it had to be my spray skirt > > > IMO - That's not an unreasonable source of modest leakage. I also get a > little bit of leakage during rolling practice, which I believe comes in at > the point where sprayskirt meets coaming. Doesn't everyone? > -- : : Gabriel L Romeu : http://studiofurniture.com furniture from the workshop : http://members.xoom.com/gabrielR life as a tourist, daily journal : http://studiofurniture.com/paint paintings, photographs, etchings, objects *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
A follow-up to a 27 August posting I made regarding a leak into the cockpit of my 1993 Eddyline Wind Dancer: 1. Water was entering via the rudder cable channel, despite the manufacturer's skepticism. 2. I eliminated the leak by covering the rear entry hole for the rudder cable -- a small piece of electrical tape was all that was required. Only a small clearance is needed for the cable to slide freely. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Kruger wrote: <A follow-up to a 27 August posting I made regarding a leak into the cockpit of my 1993 Eddyline Wind Dancer: 1. Water was entering via the rudder cable channel, despite the manufacturer's skepticism > Dave, have you stuck with the Wind Dancer(s) due to a "better the devil you know than the devil you don't" philosophy? :^D Mike Wagenbach "I like to get to work early, so I can discard a pet hypothesis before breakfast." -Konrad Lorenz I'd settle for Happy Hour. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
"M. Wagenbach" wrote: > Dave, have you stuck with the Wind Dancer(s) due to a "better the devil > you know than the devil you don't" philosophy? :^D Partly that,yes. And partly because it has high initial stability for gawking at things ... and an enormous amount of room for cargo. 'Round here we call it "the cargo barge," and it goes on all the long trips. Dan Hagen congratulated me once (a year ago or so) when I found a boat slower than the Wind Dancer ... the WD is pretty damn slow. I own a Sea Star, which is somewhat faster, and has almost as much room, but somebody else always grabs it. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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