I bought a used poly Tempest 170 in January. I just water tested it yesterday by filling the 3 hatches. The skeg doesn't leak at all but the bulkheads do. I noticed that all the bulkhead have been sealed with clear silicon. The silicon has bubbles in various spots on all the bulkheads. As well, the silicon has become brittle and cracked in many spots. The silicon was applied very generously and is virtually impossible to remove. How am I to fix these leaks now?
Everything I have read about sealing bulkheads says that once silicon is used, no other sealant will seal. This leads me to believe that silicon is a poor choice for sealing a bulkhead. It is a cheap and temporary solution because it breaks down and cracks after a while.
Just as a side note, the hatch covers are very loose and flimsy. Like I said earlier, I bought the boat in January and the covers were frozen with ice inside the lip so I couldn't tell what condition they were in. I believe the boat is a 2008 or 2009 model. Probably 2008. I am not sure if the hatch covers are like this from UV exposure or if they were always like this. They have to be replaced because I would bet anything that they will not keep water out after a roll or even a few waves. I will try switching the covers with one of my Tsunami 140's. The dimensions are the same.
Anyway, I am looking for advice from anyone with expertise in fixing these issues. Your help is greatly appreciated.

I just ordered a beautiful, brand new Valley Nordkapp RM. And it doesn't have crappy foam bulkheads. How wonderful. I know I am just gonna love that boat.

Thanks,

Chad

If I were you, I think I would begin by consulting with the people at Wilderness.

I'm curious; what type of bulkhead does Valley use in their poly boats? I've been around quite a few of those boats, but I guess I never looked inside.

The Valley Nordkapp that I ordered is a rotomold polyethylene boat. It has welded plastic bulkheads that are double sealed.

I think I am going to contact Wilderness systems. I am going to need to do something about the stern hatch cover too. It is so flimsy that a wave will knock it right off the boat. I tried the stern hatch cover from my Tsunami but the combing heights are different so the hatch won't fit.

Wilderness Systems has redesigned the hatch covers, making them a lot more rigid. I will probably have to order a new one.

Chad, even though you bought the Tempest used, maybe you'll get lucky and Wilderness will offer to remedy your hatch problem at their cost, since it appears the design was deficient. I guess this is where you find out how Wilderness stands behind their products.

the Tempest 170 is one of the few kayaks i considered but talking with my kayak group the impression i got was "great design, bad construction". Problems include leaking hatches and skeg box, the boat felt good, its fast, its got a great seat and has a good weight capacity of 325lbs which would be great for those overnight camp outs but then someone told me to try out a Capella and my choice was made.

3M 5200 Marine Water Sealant will fix those bulkheads. That was a really common problem with all the plastic Wilderness Systems boats of that era. They have fixed the problem now with a much improved bulkhead and sealing process.

My Zephyr 160 bulkhead between the seat back and day hatch leaked at ton. I took a utility knife razor blade and cut out all the old clear (and bubbled) sealant and wiped it all down with acetone to clean the surfaces. Do both sides. I have not had any water in that day hatch since.

Hope this helps!

Eric

The rear hatch on the rotomolded Tempest 170 must be very carefully put on to properly seal it. It could still be dislodged by a wave or an errant line. A new replacement Qajaksport hatch cover for $80+ would help. Good inflatable flotation would give you piece of mind. I'd really prefer a neoprene cover and a hard cover belted over that. The RM Tempest is still a great boat for the beginner thru intermediate kayacker. You should raise this this issue on the Yahoo-based Tempest owners user group. The Tempest's designer follows this board. Good Luck!