Hangman's Island

Trip reports that don't have a page dedicated to them.

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Dave
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Location: Quincy

Hangman's Island

Post by Dave »

Allison and I did our second paddle of the year today. (We paddled Hingham Harbor out to worlds end a couple weeks ago.) This morning at 10:00 we put in at Wollaston and headed out to Hangman's. Beautiful Morning!! We knew thunderstorms were forecast for early afternoon so we wanted to be back in by 1. Lovely paddle out, 1' - 2' rollerd coming from our left, wind was at out back. We made Hangman's in about 45 minutes. The gulls are nesting out there now, the chicks aren't hatched and we didn't want to cause a panic, so stayed off the middle of the island. I think I definitely want to give the birds a couple weeks before I head back to that island. Had a granola bar and an orange and turned back. The wind had picked up out of the northwest, in our faces and the rollers had grown, so paddling back in was tough. Took about an hour and a half. We were off the water by about 1.

(I had tightened down my rigging before out Hingham paddle, and thought perhaps the water leaking into the forward hold was solved after that trip, but it was much calmer in Hingham Harbor. After paddling back with a lot of waves coming over the top of the bow, the hold had 2" of water when we got back. I'm totally bumming. Looks like I have to head down to R.I. and have the boat looked at and repaired.)
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pat
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Re: Hangman's Island

Post by pat »

Dave wrote:(I had tightened down my rigging before out Hingham paddle, and thought perhaps the water leaking into the forward hold was solved after that trip, but it was much calmer in Hingham Harbor. After paddling back with a lot of waves coming over the top of the bow, the hold had 2" of water when we got back. I'm totally bumming. Looks like I have to head down to R.I. and have the boat looked at and repaired.)

Dave, it sounds like you've got a lemon. Listen, as much as I love my 14' plastic Tsunami (which doesn't leak a DROP), I'll be willing to trade you straight up for your Chatham 18. I'm only willing to make this sacrifice because I just bought a brand new sponge and I'm dying to give it some use. And also, I'm just such a great and selfless guy.
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Dave
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What a guy!

Post by Dave »

I do appreciate the offer! You're a selfless guy. But . . I've grown rather attached to my lemon, so I'll give it another chance. It's a day to go down there and back, I've been procrastinating. Hold that thought though, if she's still taking water after a weekend spent in the car to get her repaired, I may be willing to part with her.
chpaton
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Quincy Bay

Post by chpaton »

I thought that was your car I saw at the beach! My wife and I were walking the beach at about 11. We scanned the bay but couldn't catch sight of you - we didn't have the binoculars with us. That offshore breeze can be a pain - unfortunately it's rather typical for Quincy Bay during the warmer months. We spotted another solo yakker in the bay down by Half Moon flats (near the Black Creek gate) I think he might have been fishing.

Re your water problems - do you have any idea where the leak is? Have you checked the obvious? QC can be pretty shaky sometimes and I think a lot of manufacturers skimp on caulking when they install the outfitting. I'd check anyplace where they've used rivets or bolts, or have otherwise drilled thru hull or thru deck in the bow area. First suspect would be the hatch rim (I'm sure you've checked the hatch cover already), second would be where the bow carry toggle is attached, and third would be any thru deck fittings used to attach your deck bungees and deck lines. Let's just hope it'd not the seam where the deck mates with the hull!

When you have the boat in your yard or garage, have you tried putting a couple of gallons of water in the bow compartment and trying to see where it leaks out!
Craig
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Dave
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Rigging leaks

Post by Dave »

I think you're spot on Craig about the rigging. It only leaks when I have water coming over the top of the boat. I tried the opposite method, poured water over the rigging an looked for leaks inside with a flash light. No luck that way. I've also heard that they've had some issues with the bow handle on last years Chatham, and some one explained that repair to me, I just don't want to try it.
Dave
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Took your advice

Post by Dave »

Put a couple buchets in the hatch and flipped the boat last night Craig. It was where the hatch is attatched to the deck. Debating if it should be removed and re-attached in R.I., or if a little caulk is sufficient.
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Birdseye
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Post by Birdseye »

Check PNet for answers. I believe this is somewhat of a common problem.
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Chip
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Post by Chip »

I would be afraid of the dealer removing and reattaching the hatch rim. Who knows how good they are with glass. I would find out the best stuff to caulk it with and do that unless it is a big hole. I would see what PNET has to say. Hopefully bnystrom will chime in. He is good with this stuff.
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Post by getnoutside »

I have a little bit of 2-part marine epoxy left over from my skerry project. You could also try Marine Tex (http://www.marinetex.com/)
chpaton
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Post by chpaton »

Dave:

How's the hatch rim attached to the deck? Is it bonded with adhesive/epoxy, or is it attached with rivets/nuts&bolts?

If it's bonded and IF the spots where it's leaking are readily identifiable, I would try a little epoxy or marine tex arond the edge of the rim and the deck. Before you decide what type of stuff to use you must identify the type of material the hatch rim is made of. If it's made out of the same type of composite as the deck it's not much of an issue any type of epoxy approved for "fiberglass" should be OK (read the lables). If the rim is plastic (ABS) you'll need an epoxy that is approved for plastic AND fiberglass - something like Devcon Plastic Weld, or there's one at Home Depot (I forget the brand) called Plastic Epoxy.

If you feel the bonding was totally botched, the boat is still under warranty, and the leak is signifcant, I might be inclined to seek some sort of remediation from the retailer or manufacturer. I'd be careful about repairs done by the retailer without first checking out their repair experience and references.

If the hatch rim is bolted or riveted on, I'd just take it off apply a liberal, but not sloppy amount of waterproof silicone caulking between the deck and rim then reattach it. If it's riveted and you need some specifics about rivet removal let me know.
Craig
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Dave
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Rim

Post by Dave »

Hey Craig,

The rim is epoxied to the deck, no screws. I emailed the dealer, and asked them it they would just try caulk or remove it, and said I could try caulking it myself. They said to go ahead and do that. It is a VCP hatch. I can see a spot where the water is coming through, and there is a little ball of epoxy that looks like it was scraped or wiped when the epoxy was tacky. I went to West marine and described what had to be done and they gave me some 3M Marine Silicone Caulk. It's clear, I got the little tube, the nozzle is smaller. I'm going to trim the tip to a a very fine point and try to squeeze some into the gap. Then I'll trim the tip back and put a bead all the way around. We'll see how it works. I've gotten all sorts of conflicting advise on this, some folks seem to think the only way to do it is to remove the hatch and start from scratch. I figured I would find out what the Kayak Centre said, and make sure that I wouldn't void any warranty if I tried it myself. If it doesn't work I'm out an ten dollar tube of caulk and I'll take it down there. There is no way I'm going to attempt removing a hatch that is cemented in place! I think it will work. Looks like tonight will be a perfect evening to take the boat down and give it a shot. Paddling this weekend!!
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Birdseye
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Post by Birdseye »

Hey Dave,
Make sure you leave the hatch open until the epoxy is dry, maybe even leave it outside for awhile. I've heard it can take some time to dry completely.
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chpaton
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Post by chpaton »

Dave:

I'm sure the caulk will do the trick if the unepoxied gap isn't too wide. Not sure why West Marine sold you caulk instead of epoxy tho?!? Maybe, because the caulk is easier to remove if you screw up and get sloppy.

Keep in mind that silicone caulk is designed to retain its elasticity and flexibility and will not dry "hard". Over time, and with prolonged exposure to heat & sunlight ,it may lose some of that flex & stretch causing the seal to fail. The other worry with the silicone would be if the hatch cover rubs against it as you open & close the hatch - if so the silcone could eventually wear away.

If you're looking for company to paddle with this weekend give me a buzz (PM me if you've lost my phone #). I'm booked for family Saturday if the weather is good, but I should have time for either a morning or afternoon paddle on either Sunday or Monday.
Craig
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getnoutside
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Post by getnoutside »

If the gap is noticeable to the eye, I would use Marine epoxy with silica. This gives the epoxy an expanding gap-filling quality. Most marine store around here sell West System and it is pretty good. My Skerry is pretty much held together with the stuff. Be warned... it's a pain in the arse to sand smooth once it's fully cured, though. One trick is the take a rubber gloved finger dipped in denatured alcohol and smooth down the epoxy once it is nearly cured but still tacky.
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bhotrum
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Repair or Use Neoprene Gasket Covers in Addition to VCP

Post by bhotrum »

Dave,

Could you use neoprene covers in addition to the VCP covers
on the Chatham, might be just what they call incidental water
intrusion just from rough water conditions ? My Necky Elaho
uses these covers in addition to the poly covers and it is bone
dry even when rolling etc. My Assateague has the VCP covers
and gets a little moist when rolling now and then and I have
considered using the neoprene covers as long as they permit
the VCP to close down firmly.

suggestions are free to use or dispense with !

Cheers

barry h
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