SHOP: leakproof through bulkhead hose

In a previous post I have described a solution for a hydration system.
The water bladder sits under the deck, on a “shelf”, and the drinking hose sits in front of me on the deck.
In the Nordkapp LV the deck is lower and less space is available in the foredeck.
Water bottles positioned under the bungees on deck just don’t cut it as they often end up in the sea, especially in rougher conditions.
While on short trips carrying water on the PFD is a possible solution (small amount of water) in the heat of summer in Queensland a liter of water does not get you far.
Hydration in a subtropical locale is a serious consideration.
The water bladder could not go behind the seat (Valley makes sure that the rear cockpit bulkhead is tight against the seat) so the best solution was to place it in the day hatch.
I wanted a positive seal between the drinking hose of the hydration system and the bulkhead.
A simple hole that is just undersized drilled in the deck might not do the job: small amounts of water could still get through and wet items that are otherwise totally dry in a Valley hatch.
I decided to position the drinking hose to the left of the cockpit.
On the right hand side there is the day hatch cover and the outlet spigot for the electric bilge pump.



After drilling a smaller hole with a high speed drill (Dremel_ I use high speed or gel coat chipping can occur) I enlarged it to a slightly undersized dimension for the clear PVC water hose.
I placed an “O” ring on the hose that is slightly constrictive and let it sit on the hose for a while.
The “O” ring would create a small indent in the hose making sure it will really seal well.


I roughened up a circle on the gel coat around the hole, clear off the “O” ring, cleaned the surface with acetone and inserted a slightly greased up (mold release) hose and “O” ring hard against the gel coat.

roughened-up circle on gel coat; hose and "O" ring inserted
I mixed up a small quantity of West System epoxy 105 with 207 hardener (UV stabilized), added some tint (I didn’t like the pale yellow color) and thickened it with microfiber (for strength and workability).
With a toothpick I carefully covered the “O” ring creating a full encasement of the ring.

After curing it overnight I removed the hose (it released easily since it was greased up) and shaved away the excess epoxy to make a smooth “fitting”

epoxy still needs polishing
The “O” ring is now encased in the resin with the rubber surface against the PVC hose making it really leak proof.

PS MAR'10 For a much simpler solution that does not require epoxy Kiwibird managed to source just the right size rubber grommet.

It apppears that her solution is just as effective as mine.

If you can get hold of a grommet that fits the hose tightly I suggest to follow her set up.

The hose can still be slid in-out to shorten or lengthen it according to the paddler's needs.

The hose end inside the day hatch has a quick release coupling that came with the bladder so removing and filling up the bladder is a breeze.
The hose is usually stashed under the deck bungees and can be easily reached when needed for a drink.

After trying different solutions for a drinking system this one seems to address all the shortcomings of the other(*) systems.

* other systems that I tried:

-1) water bottle on deck: not enough water, fall off and hinder some paddle strokes.
-2) water bladder on PFD: if enough water in bladder for a day’s supply PFD becomes rather heavy on the shoulders. Also hinders rolling.
-3) water bladder in cockpit and drinking hose threaded through tunnel of spray deck: bad idea in case of wet exit (rough waters) and inevitably pain in the butt when forgetting to remove before landing :-)

PS: Kiwibird simplified the drink hose system by using a rubber fitting that needs no epoxy work; details here

SHOP: underdeck storage

And just when the dust had settled over the "must have" 3rd hatch (aka day hatch) some new models of sea kayak are starting to sport the 4th hatch.
Hey, I have even seen one with two day hatches and not sure if there was a 5th hatch... that's just getting silly.
Soon we will have kayaks with more hatches than pockets on a pair of 90's cargo pants.
Admittedly I find the day hatch a great idea: easy access and safer than one big rear compartment that if left open and flooded could seriously compromise safety.
Com'on, hands up who has not left accidentally the day hatch open after retrieving an on-water snack...
Now if that was done while paddling in rough seas and water would have filled the big rear compartment... you get my drift.
So, I find the day hatch great for items that I want to access during a paddle.
What I was missing is a storage area that would be in front of me.
Somewhere to put my water.
Paddling makes me thirsty, especially in tropical environments like summer in Queensland.
Water bottles under the bungees of the deck just don't cut it.
Beside the fact that they inevitably get washed away in rough seas, they just don't hold enough liquid for long paddles.
I have been using a large water bladder with a drinking hose to stay hydrated that I have been storing behind the seat.
The bladder is secured so won't come out in case of a wet exit but the hose stays under deck, under the spray deck (I was not going to say "skirt" in case somebody might question my sexual preferences :-)
I could feed the hose through the tunnel of the spray deck but inevitably I would forget to remove it before getting out of the kayak.
Not to mention my "occasional" swims in the surf zone :-)

So I was rather excited when I spotted a very neat under deck storage in Greg's kayak.
That's just the ticket. I needed one too.
I could have my water there, out of the way of my feet and I could route the hose through the deck.

Greg's underdeck bag is smaller than mine: he stores smaller items there.
I need one big enough to hold 4 Lt of water.
I use a MSR Dromedary water bladder as hydration system.

Of all the bladders that I have used to date, the Dromedary is still the most durable with its tough 1000 denier nylon that can easily be patched in the unlike event of accidental puncture.
I have never experienced a split seam and the wide opening allows for easy filling.
The perimeter webbing serves as anchor points for lashing it down securely.
On the bottom of my kayaks cockpit I have epoxied-in small anchor point to secure a 10 Lt Dromedary bag for very long trips that require excess water supplies.

My drinking hose now sits neatly on the deck in front of my cockpit.
I can grab the spigot in any sea conditions and can drink from it without having to pop the deck open and potentially allow a wave fill my cockpit.
Obviously the deck had to be drilled to allow the hose through.
(Routing the hose between the coaming lip and the spray deck ends up pinching the hose and restrict flow)
The hose also needs a coupling for easy attachment to the bladder.
A special self sealing plastic coupling was sourced from CPC (included on some water bladders).

modified Nalgene cap with CPC coupling

The drinking hose stays permanently attached to the deck while the bladder is stored when not in use.

To keep the bladder from going funky between uses I store mine in the freezer.
That means less room for the Häagen-Dazs but I never have to taste mouldy water.

I fabricated small saddles made from fibreglass (and carbon for "bling effect").
I draped several layers of epoxy impregnated fibreglass cloth over a small diameter tube and covered it with balking paper.
I placed a wooden board on each side of the tube to create a sharp "tunnel" shape.

After it cured I cut sections from my shaped plate and made saddles.
I secured the saddles on the underside of my kayak's deck with microfiber thickened epoxy.

The underdeck bag is made from mesh shade cloth material.
The perimeter is sewn with flat tape creating a casing for the cord that holds the bag onto the saddles.The exact shape of the bag will depend on one's needs.

My bag had to be large enough for the 4 Lt Dromedary bladder.

anchor points for 10 Lt Dromedary visible on bottom of cockpit
The underdeck bag I slightly 3D with two darts to make it belly shaped.
A slit in the front with a bit of elastic to allow easy stowage completes the bag shape.

I can now drink all I want (water I mean) and prevent a dehydration caused headache at the end of the day.


*A= magnetic switch (details here)
B= main sheet cleat (details here)
C= compass Suunto Pioneer