: Hi-

: I just finished my Guillemot (pictures to come...) and am very happy with the
: boat's performance and looks. Nick did a great job designing this boat.

: I am having a problem though: The boat lets in a lot of water and is quite
: wet. The water in the cockpit is probably due to my porous spray skirt,
: but what gets in to rear hatch is what worries me. I used the nylon
: webbing deck fittings, thought I had caulked them enough, and used some
: epoxy to soak into the webbing on the outside. It doesn't seem to work. I
: also got some good weatherstripping for the hatch, so not sure that's the
: problem.

: What would be a good method to ckeck for leaks?

: How much water would you expect to wick in through the webbing if it's not
: perfectly sealed?

: Thanks in advance for any help-

: Jack Gilman

: ps: Went to Delamrva Paddler's Retreat this weekend. Learned a few new rolls,
: met some folks from this list, saw a number of beautiful s-o-f Greenland
: boats and had a great time!

To check for leaks in the rear compartment, you could put the boat up on saw horses, pour some water into the rear compartment, seal the hatch, flip the boat upside down, and then see where the water drips (or pours!) back out..... the alternate method is to leave the boat right side up and pour some water over the places you suspect leak and then check to see if it is so. You might want to try tightening the hatch down a little more to see if that makes a difference.

If you want to see if your spray skirt leaks, put the spray skirt on the cockpit, pour a couple cups of water over its deck and see if it drips through--and where.... It will either be coming through the seams or through the material itself. And then the question is "how much leaking are you willing to put up with?"

Another thing to check is whether there is a leak in the bulkhead between the cockpit and the rear compartment.... that also could explain why both are wet...

good luck!

Julie Kanarr