Hobie Tandem Island Hatch Leaks

After finding more water in my 2020 TI hull than normal, I stuck a knock-off GoPro in the hull and dumped some water over the hatches to see where it was getting in. Here's what I found.

[@vamonosalla4103]

Great video!!!

[@Piratepeteoo]

Wow Wow Wee,,, Thanks for sharing this information with the hatch seal mods many thanks Professor 😮😮😮😮

[@markstamp872]

Nice video. I have 2 older Adventure Islands (a 2013 and a 2014), which I mostly sail in NorCal (the Monterey Bay, in particular). What I found works well on the round hatches is to wrap the rubber o-ring in teflon tape (the same stuff that plumbers use). That allows the o-rings to resist twisting, so that they can seal properly, and it has eliminated any signifiant leakage from those hatches on my boats (with the added benefit that they open and close easily and smoothly). For the front hatch, I use a ring made out of 3/4" silicone tubing, which goes in the channel that the hatch rests on. The outside edge of the top hatch presses into the silicone rubber tubing and makes a tight seal, even when the boat flexes (as it does quite extensively in rough seas). I'd wager that your front hatch will still take on water. If you put a camera inside when sailing in rough conditions, you'll see that the the flex in the boat creates a lot of suction around the front hatch, and it'll literally suck the water in, unless you have a very tight seal.

[@tomlewis509]

All great ideas! I did manage to limit the water intrusion but I also decided it would be safer to install an automatic (electric) bilge pump. I thought a hand bilge pump would work in an emergency but in practice it's almost impossible to hand pump when the boat is pounding about in the ocean. I feel an electric bilge pump is mandatory any time we exceed the boats actual Category D rating.

[@thomasgcampbell]

Great video, thanks for Posting

[@seewind]

Excellent summary and good solutions to a well know leak weakness with the hobie TI. I can share that Hobie completely redesigned the three circular hatches for the Hobie 2022 TI. The front hatch was not changed. I can share that during intensive 40 days of sailing in the Atlantic Ocean and Florida Keys, including rough waves the 2022 TI was air tight with no water leaks - which mazzed me! I have owned several TIs. The 2022 TI is improved from a water leak perspective. See video here from my 2022 TI. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gl7LomV9ftKMe6M

[@therigloftmatthewotto4775]

Hi Tom this is a good video with a lot of good detail and I have a few boats spanning the entirety of the evolution of the adventure and tandem Island Boats I've gotta 07, a 11, a13, a19, and a 2020. I think one of the problems is even with the several redesigns Hobie has not addressed this problem. If anything the leaky hatches have gotten worse from my experience with the boats I have over almost the entirety the evolution the older style t-handle 8" round hatch seems to be much more Rugged and water tight the newer Oval handle round hatch the large hatch up on the bow seems to have some design flaws that they have failed to address in 15 years and least 3 upgrades to the boats. If this had been produced by an automaker, it would have resulted in. A very large class action suit and recall these hatches The design and insulation of these hatches is negligent for even the very low sea state that hobie recommend. Lakes bays and sounds I've seen 5 and 6 foot chop and lakes base and sounds all over the world being as professional Mariner for over 40 years as well as a part-time kayak guide in my youth I can assure you that there are several kayak companies that have been able to consistently produce boats and hatches that don't leak necky and Wilderness system plenty of others and as far as sit on tops Ocean Kayak made very good watertight hatches there is no reason other than not having the will to do so and making the boats cheaper and cheaper with each iteration in design and material. My 2020 Tl is the worse built boat in my fleet none of my hatches closed properly and as far as deck fittings like cleats the materials used in the bungees so poor quality I can see why they had to change their logo there must be something up at the corporate level that they've decided to bake the boat so cheap that it might actually be a better option to buy one of the Chinese close don't get me wrong I've been sailing Hobie cats since I was 5 love them I built all the Hobie 21 for the first ultimate Yacht Race when I was in high school in Corpus Christi I'm very much a Hobie person and I love these boats that's why I have 5 of them but I've had to go through and rebuild each one to bring it up to a minimum standard for what I would consider a moderate Seas state. Good luck with your testing thank you for your video

[@markstamp872]

Very good writeup. I've got 2 Hobie Adventure Islands (a 2014 that I bought used in 2015 and a 2013 that I built up from just the hull), and my wife thinks it's crazy to have more than one, so I'll have to show her your post. My claim to fame is that I believe I've nearly perfected my custom jib. In any case, I too have gone from an ultimate Hobie fanboy to being a bit disappointed in the company...

[@pescatoralpursuit1726]

​@markstamp872 care to share your jib?

[@mcoop571]

Excellent stuff Tom. I pulled the rear hatch from my ‘17 and added a LOT of sealant where the outer ring meets the hull. Seemed to “fix” mine, also, you can force a length of PVC at the leading edge of the front hatch, which will prevent flexing of the nose and help seal it. Thanks for posting.

[@PaulPofandt]

Thank for that. Gives me some idea what to look for on my leaky AIs.

[@barrywinter5381]

Hey Tom. Can you show or tell me how you attach your backboards?

[@tomlewis509]

I just uploaded a video that shows how to quickly mount a bilge pump in a Hobie using a kit I created (and sell.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYbReJiLma-Hd9kfeature=shared

[@barrywinter5381]

backboard?. Do you have info on your handrails?

[@tomlewis509]

Are you asking about both the hakas (spine boards sitting above the tramps) and the stainless grab rails? I posted information about both on the Hobie Adventure & Tandem Island Facebook Group which will answer most of your questions. It's a great group that contains loads of useful tips.