A simple question

[longislandtomd]

Here is a simple (and stupid) question:

For the Hobie owners out there. The only Hobie that I have ever fished out of is the one that I own, and I purchased it used. If I am going to have any end of year repairs done, with all of this ice on our water, I should probably get started.

With that said: when I drop in my mirage drive,and i start peddling I have about 3/4 to 1" of water accumulating in the well where the mirage drive sits. Im sensing it is supposed to be completely dry there. No?

Second, I am also concerned that my front hatch isnt sealed correctly and is allowing a very small amount of water to enter into the hull...

[surfdog]

the mirage well isnt meant to be water tight, if you have water getting in check for cracks in the well, Bill has this problem with his outback

[ictalurus]

Sam's right about the water in the drive well. There's a little flap that can be attached to the rear of the drive that cuts down a little on the water entering that area. It costs about $10 and attaches with screws or zip ties. I think the newer drives come with it. I use the water in that area to keep Gulp lures and squid hydrated as I move from place to place.

Water can get into the hull from a number of areas, so it's hard to tell where it would be most likely coming from without know how much water you're getting. Is it just a couple sponge fulls worth? It can get in from the rudder lines at the stern. I notice this more when it's rough out, and I think older Outback were especially prone to this. I run my fish finder cables out from under the front hatch, which makes it seal not quite as well, so I'll get a little water from the front when it's rough, too. The seal on the front hatch is kind of a funny combination. There's the part that clips to a ridge around the opening, and the seal part is glued to the clipping part. The seal eventually wears out and needs to be replaced, or the clipping part sometimes gets unseated and won't work as well. You can get the gasket material from a Hobie dealer, and it isn't too expensive. It seals best when the gasket part curves gently around the curves in the hatch. It's hard to do that without getting a fold or pinch in the gasket.

I had the hatches before the twist and seal hatches, and they leaked like sieves. The twist and seal hatches work pretty well, but sometimes the gasket gets twisted and needs to be straightened out.

I've tested all the suspect areas by blasting them with hose while leaving another hatch open to look for water drops. Sometimes blasting makes water spray too much to penetrate, so I'll also leave the hose running more gently to see if water accumulates that way. The best way to test for leaks is to soap up the entire hull and pressurize the hull by using a compressor or shop vac to blow air into the hull from the drain plug. Bubbles will form where there are leaks. I don't have a shop vac, so I've never done this, but other people have had good results.

I realized I had a hull crack when I started getting a gallon or more after 4 hours of fishing. In that case, the crack is either in the front of the drive well, one of the scuppers has a pinhole leak, or the cam columns for locking down the drive (if you have the twist locks) are cracked.

I hope that helps a bit.

[longislandtomd]

It helps. Quite a bit actually. At this point, I am mostly talking about a few sponges-full. I do notice it more when it is rough out. My gut instinct is that some of it is a natural amount of water intrusion due to design. At the same time I am starting to think that I am not getting a 100% seal on my front hatch.

Knock on wood (or plastic) that it wont become a serious problem that will require more attention.

When it gets warmer I might do a little more inspection to achieve 100% water tightness. Maybe not.