# how to stop water from getting inside my yak



## pacecountryboy (Feb 27, 2012)

i have a pelican castaway 116 i know this kayak is not made to be in rough water by any means but it is a perty good fishing kayak for the most part.... the issue i am haveing is when the bay gets rough or i go in the gulf and the water comes over the front it gets in the front hatch cause it is not sealed very good what is something i could use to fix this this is my first kayak and i want to fix this so i can enjoy my time on the water with out worrying about this thanks


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## Bigkidneys (Jul 14, 2011)

Get you some silicone and reseal the hatch. Take out the screws and put some silicone underneath and rebed the hatch. They are not the best made kayaks but all kayaks will leak to some point. Some requires more work to seal it properly than others but isn't hard to do. As long as you're having fun is what matters most


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

No offense intended, but there is no way I would take a Pelican or any other non-rotomolded kayak in the surf. You can silicone it and it might work for a while, but it will leak again. Do you want to be out a couple hundred yards or more with a yak full of water. Honestly I would start looking on Craigslist for something rotomolded.


Holy cow check this out!!! If I lived down there I would sell a kid for this. http://panamacity.craigslist.org/boa/3936980441.html


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## pacecountryboy (Feb 27, 2012)

i am going to be getting a new kayak for sure just got this one cause the money was right at the time and didnt have the money for a hobie witch is what i want...it dosent do as bad as u would thank in the surf most of what we use it for is taking shark baits out and it handles good just it does take on more water than what i would like i will try the silicone and see if that fixes it for now till i can upgrade to some thing better


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## Foulhook (Apr 26, 2010)

I used my Pelican for 5+ years before I upgraded last summer to a Trident 13. I was never able to get the front hatch water tight but I did get it better by putting rubber door seal (weather stripping) around the edge of the hull opening and really tightening the front hatch strap as tight as I could get it. Hang in there and just be careful of when you choose to launch into the surf.


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## kahala boy (Oct 1, 2007)

How big is the front hatch? inside diameter? If it is 6 3/4, I have a gasket that should work....


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## oxbeast1210 (Jun 21, 2010)

Foulhook said:


> I used my Pelican for 5+ years before I upgraded last summer to a Trident 13. I was never able to get the front hatch water tight but I did get it better by putting rubber door seal (weather stripping) around the edge of the hull opening and really tightening the front hatch strap as tight as I could get it. Hang in there and just be careful of when you choose to launch into the surf.


It was my first kayak got me into the sport
I did what foul hook recommended above and it worked well for me .


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## pacecountryboy (Feb 27, 2012)

I am not sure that size of the hatch my kayak is at my buddies house right now I thank I am going to try the weather strip but I am going to put the silicon behind it to seal it better and make a bigger seal I thank I am going to upgrade my latches to and put some better ones on there so I can make them tighter thanks for the input guys I will let yall know how it works


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

That sounds exactly like my old yak. Have fun with it until you can upgrade.

Greg


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## Fl Panhandler (Jan 20, 2012)

I fixed a friends pelican latch by putting on car trunk weatherstripping that I purchased at carquest. They have several types of weatherstripping and the one for a trunk fit very well. Good luck maybe that will get you by until yo can get a more gulf suitable yak.
Rick


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## pacecountryboy (Feb 27, 2012)

Well I used the weather strip and silicone and it worked really well and changed out the straps so could make them tighter its still got water inside but no where near what it was and I went in the gulf yesterday but over all it worked way better than I thought it would thanks for help guys


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## Foulhook (Apr 26, 2010)

That is what makes this forum so great - everyone is willing to help out and let others learn from past experiences.


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## jasoncooperpcola (Jan 2, 2008)

The Ascend FS128T has the same problem. A friend bought one and in one trip to 3mb it gets between 2-3 gallons of water inside.


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## Disco (Aug 21, 2013)

I really like the trunk weather seal idea. I have a Trident 15 that the crappy glued seal came off of and it takes in water now. Im going to look for the trunk seal and see how it works.


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