Hull Thickness on Malibu Explorer - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dcarlin25 · 01-27-2006, 09:18 AM

Having recently moved to a newer place with a garage, I've finally gotten a chance to get my Explorer rigged the way I intended in the first place... without having to work under the patio lights. I was routing wiring the other day and placed a shop light inside the front hatch facing the rear of the hull. I got the idea to use the light as a means of checking for leaks and/or thin spots along the deck and hull. To my surprise, I discovered that the joint between the top of the scupper drains and the deck is extremely thin in several locations (ie. I could clearly see my finger through the hull and could depress the plastic with little to no effort). I understand the variance in hull thickness from deck to bottom etc, but the "joint" area seems to have been a molding defect. I'd appreciate your two cents with regards to the following:

1) What epoxy-like product would you recommend if I try to build up the material at these transition points to protect the thin spots from the stress that beach landings and baja roads are sure to induce?

2) Have any of you seen similar variances in hull thickness on a Malibu rig? Note: I purchased this rig from the Pt.Loma store as a "Blem" in early '05 although I was under the impression that this didn't refer to structural imperfections, only cosmetic.

3) Unrelated: Since I've been staring at these scuppers for the better part of an hour... I really like the look of the newer internal bait tanks... Has anyone toyed with the idea of introducing a PVC T-fitting into the scupper drain (below deck obviously) and using this as an inlet for the pump? Seems like this would eliminate the need for the extra thru-hull fitting. Maybe one scupper could be modified close to the bottom of the boat to act as an intake and the other modified near the desired water level of the tank to act as an exhaust... Just a thought for those with more time and more Dremel bits to ponder?

01-27-2006, 09:18 AM	#1
dcarlin25 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 7	Hull Thickness on Malibu Explorer Having recently moved to a newer place with a garage, I've finally gotten a chance to get my Explorer rigged the way I intended in the first place... without having to work under the patio lights. I was routing wiring the other day and placed a shop light inside the front hatch facing the rear of the hull. I got the idea to use the light as a means of checking for leaks and/or thin spots along the deck and hull. To my surprise, I discovered that the joint between the top of the scupper drains and the deck is extremely thin in several locations (ie. I could clearly see my finger through the hull and could depress the plastic with little to no effort). I understand the variance in hull thickness from deck to bottom etc, but the "joint" area seems to have been a molding defect. I'd appreciate your two cents with regards to the following: 1) What epoxy-like product would you recommend if I try to build up the material at these transition points to protect the thin spots from the stress that beach landings and baja roads are sure to induce? 2) Have any of you seen similar variances in hull thickness on a Malibu rig? Note: I purchased this rig from the Pt.Loma store as a "Blem" in early '05 although I was under the impression that this didn't refer to structural imperfections, only cosmetic. 3) Unrelated: Since I've been staring at these scuppers for the better part of an hour... I really like the look of the newer internal bait tanks... Has anyone toyed with the idea of introducing a PVC T-fitting into the scupper drain (below deck obviously) and using this as an inlet for the pump? Seems like this would eliminate the need for the extra thru-hull fitting. Maybe one scupper could be modified close to the bottom of the boat to act as an intake and the other modified near the desired water level of the tank to act as an exhaust... Just a thought for those with more time and more Dremel bits to ponder?