Leaky boat

[Qazass]

I have a Necky Chatham, and it's a great boat, but I'm having a problem. Whenever I take it out, I end up with about a quart of water behind the rear bulkhead. I have no idea how the water is getting in. I tried filling the compartment with water, but I couldn't find any leaks. Please help

[oaknut]

if your kayak has bungie webbing on the top deck try water proofing the attachments where the screw goes through the deck.

[thecampingman]

I just took my Necky Chatham 17' out for the first time yesterday. Got water in the rear bulkhead also. I suspect it's the retractable skeg that's letting the water in. I don't see it as a problem though. A friend is giving me some "Space Bags" (as seen on TV) for me to keep my stuff in to keep it dry. The little bit of extra ballast is of no consequence.

[KayakProDave]

I had this problem with my Chatham but only when waves were going over the stern - it was a super easy fix. The valley hatches seal really really well, but I found the water was coming in under the rim where it attaches to the boat. I talked to Necky and they sent me some replacement rubber tape stuff at no charge to put under the rim. I un-did the screws, put the new stuff down and then screwed it back on. All dry now.

You can test this at home...just carefully pour some water around the rim area and see if it gets into the hatch area. You could also just use a marine silcone sealant as well to fix it I guess.

Chatham is an awesome boat :)

[thecampingman]

Thanks Dave! I'll check that.

OK, I checked like you said Dave, and yup, they all 3 leak around the rim. I've contacted Necky to see if they'll send me some tape.
Thanks again for your post.

[thecampingman]

Here's an update on my update.

I e-mailed Necky, and they sent me enough butyl rubber tape for all three hatches and a little extra at no charge. Here'a a little tip if you're doing your boat. Take off the rings and clean off all the old caulking. Position the tape on the ring so the screws go right thru it so you're sealing the screw holes too. Use something sharp to poke holes thru the tape for the screws. Wet the tool used to make the hole (spit) so the rubber doesn't stretch out of shape. Also wet the screws to poke them thru the tape or the rubber gums up the threads. When everything looks OK install the ring back on the boat. Ideally you should use new stainless steel locking nuts, but I just reused the old ones, being careful not to over tighten them until the rubber squished out. I only tightened them enough to hold it tight but not so much that it makes the rubber squish out. (there were no instructions)

The butyl rubber tape is a big improvement over the original butyl caulk, because the caulking gets squished down so much with the screws it becomes very thin. So thin it can't flex. With the inevitable flexing of the boat it eventually breaks the seal. The tape is much thicker allowing for a little flexing. the seal will hold.

Kudos to Necky for the (free) upgrade.