Malibu Stealth 12 $900 (off the market)

[sanjuancapokayak]

Decided to keep it and work on fixing the issues instead

Package Deal Includes:
2012 Malibu Stealth Kayak 12'
Crack of Dawn Rudder Kit with foot pedal steering (Installed)
4" Rear Hatch (Installed)
OEX Bait Tank Pump and Plumbing Kit (Installed)
Lowrance Mark 4 GPS/Fishfinder Combo with Ram Mount.
OEX Battery Box Complete (Pelican waterproof case with 12V 10AMP Battery)
Ritchie Flush Mount x-21 Compass (Installed)
Crack of Dawn Apex 1 Seat with GEAR BAG
Crack of Dawn Heavy Duty Wheel Cart
Crack of Dawn Tsunami Paddle
Precision Pal Cratepak with West Marine Crate
(3) 6" Yak Attack Gear Tracks (Installed)
(2) OEX Rod Leashes (Not pictured)

Price: $900.00 Firm (just asking what I paid one week ago)
Location: San Juan Capistrano
Contact: Bryan Whitfield 949-370-8021 Call or Text (before 11pm)
Reason it's back on market: Was disappointed with how wet the ride was and
how much water got inside the side hatches. Great deal for someone who wants to put the time into sealing hatches, putting an automatic bilge pump inside, or does alot of fresh water fishing. Personally, this kayak is not going to work for me in the conditions I want to fish in this Fall and Winter. Was also disappointed where the bait tank empties on feet in front scuppers, plus none of the hatches sealed very well including the bait tank hatch. Just want to be upfront and disclose to the new owner some of the issues as to why I want out and selling it.

This kayak package cost the original owner $1700. (Back in March 2012) Was asking $1300 sold to 2nd owner for $1100. Second owner was asking $1000 Reduced to $950. Then sold to me for $900. Will not separate, want to sell as a package deal.

[alanw]

Yes the stealth hatches suck, none of them fit or seal right. It's always a wet ride but the bait tank just about makes it worth it.

I've been too lazy to make any real effort to fix the hatches. I just enjoy the yak and dump the water out at the end of the day.

Glad you're going to give it a shot before you sell it, let me know how it goes.

[Sdspeed]

Originally Posted by alanw

Yes the stealth hatches suck, none of them fit or seal right. It's always a wet ride but the bait tank just about makes it worth it.

I've been too lazy to make any real effort to fix the hatches. I just enjoy the yak and dump the water out at the end of the day.

Glad you're going to give it a shot before you sell it, let me know how it goes.

I like the stealth 12 especially because of the bait tank and I have limited storage space. i haven't bought yet due to shoulder issues. What's Malibu's
position on the leaks and hatch issues. I don't wanrt to buy a new Yak to have to start fixing it the same week i get it

[sanjuancapokayak]

it looks great. Stable and cool looking. I think the water leaking out the bait tank and into the side hatches was the biggest disapointment. And in the wintertime having the bait tank drain onto my feet is something I'm not looking forward to. I had so much water come in through the side hatches, that .... my fishfinder and baittank shorted out somewhere (any advise as to what happened?) . Saltwater I guess ruined the wiring, cause the battery was in the pelican case. Just flustrating when my homemade plywood yak and Trident 15 ride so dry and nice in the wintertime. I took one windwave in and was surprised at how wet that wave was. Sitting that low to the water is gonna be a new wet ride that I haven't yet experienced. And the conditions I were in weren't even that bad. Been in lots worse, and it kinda makes me nervous to think how I'd do with constant windwaves hitting my Stealth 12 one after another.

I've got my work cut out for me, trying to figure out how to make this my main ride. I know my getting use to the kayak has a little bit to do with the amount of water I found inside the kayak, sure. Also, had a dead cell phone, the side hatches are far from waterproof. My bad again though, on my other kayaks I have dry storage boxes that I put all the stuff in. You live and learn. And that is what I will try and do, I just hope I don't sink and die With the recent money spent, I can't afford to make too many big changes in the near future. Even will have to save up to purchase the auto bilge pump. I want an auto bilge pump install in this Kayak especially, but will have to use the hand bilge pump for now.

As for the hatches, I think Malibu is okay at best in replacing the hatches if there is a problem, but I've read some real bummer situations on this very subject as well. Something they know about and want to fix, but haven't yet. To me it seems, they probably know they have a serious issue on there hands and are working overtime to fix a.s.a.p. From what I've read they give you all the reasons you don't want to hear like...."well, your using your kayak in conditions that it wasn't intended to be used in." You know the Guy in the Tie that likes to Lie approach.

Agree big time on the main selling point being the bait tank. But, if you can't turn it on cause it leaks water all over and into the side hatches then ....it just doesn't make it worth it. And to have Fall and Winter water temps draining onto your feet, plain sucks. Makes me think, reaching over my back with a net just might be more appealing.

Again, this Kayak has potential to be great for someone, I'm just not sure it's for me. Still kicking myself for not doing more research before buying. In the future, I will read reviews on something I pay more than $500 for... cause usually the info of the pros and cons are out there in today's info world.

[Sdspeed]

Originally Posted by sanjuancapokayak

it looks great. Stable and cool looking. I think the water leaking out the bait tank and into the side hatches was the biggest disapointment. And in the wintertime have the bait tank drain on my feet is something I'm not looking forward to. I had so much water come in through the side hatches, that .... my fishfinder and baittank shorted out somewhere (any advise as to what happened?) . Saltwater I guess ruined the wiring, cause the battery was in the pelican case. Just flustrating when my homemade plywood yak and Trident 15 ride so dry and nice in the wintertime. I took one windwave in and was surprised at how wet that wave was. Sitting that low to the water is gonna be a new wet ride that I haven't yet experienced. And the conditions I were in weren't even that bad. Been in lots worse, and I kinda makes me nervous to think how I'd do with constant windwave hitting my Stealth 12.

I've got my work cut out for me, trying to figure out how to make this my main ride. I know my getting use to the kayak has a little bit to do with the amount of water I found inside the kayak, sure. Also, had a dead cell phone, the side hatches are far from waterproof. My bad again though, on my other kayaks I have dry storage boxes that I put all the stuff in. You live and learn. And that what I will try and do, I just hope I don't sink and die

Well from one of us who hasn't pulled the trigger yet I give ya big time kudos for your honesty and keeping us rookies in the loop
It's a great looking set-up!

[alanw]

If you have water leaking from the bait tank into the side hatches then something is wrong. Either you have way too much water flow into your bait tank (turn down the valve, run it on 6v battery) or you don't have the required drainage holes drilled in the black plugs. The water level in the bait tank should not overflow the top. Mine runs with the water at around 1-2 inches lower than the top of the bait tank.

The water should drain nicely from the bait tank into the footwell's rear scupper holes without flooding anything. A little bit of water in the footwell is to be expected.

[Big Wave Dave]

I just leave the plug out of the bottom of the bait tank. The water level is lower, but the bait lasts longer due to the recirc of fresh water through the hole. Sometimes I don't even turn on the pump.

[boxturtle]

I had the same problem. No matter what the water level is if you have swells that rocks the kayak water will spill out of the bait tank.... I think the tank hatch isn't design to be water tight. The two side hatch should be...in my opinion it was a poor design making the bait tank higher then the storage hatches it should have been the other way around

[sanjuancapokayak]

like I said earlier, I think I will get less water in the kayak the second time around. When I do get the time and money to get my fishfinder and baittank up and running again...I will experiment alot more. Like taking out the bottom baittank plug, take out the plug in the seat scuppers, and turn the adjustment valve way down. I also read that you shouldn't run these bait tanks unless your using a timer...so once I recycle more cans at my job and can afford these extras I will look into buying them along with some marine goop and work on the seals of the hatches the best I can.

Whit-

[sanjuancapokayak]

also noticed since I weigh 210 lbs. and had more weight towards the back. The front gator hatch was empty, that I need to balance the weight of the kayak more. That also caused some of the problems, as the baitank drains forward and may have not been as effective because of the uneven backloaded kayak and my weigh as well.

[sanjuancapokayak]

Originally Posted by Big Wave Dave

I just leave the plug out of the bottom of the bait tank. The water level is lower, but the bait lasts longer due to the recirc of fresh water through the hole. Sometimes I don't even turn on the pump.

I will try that...Thank You. Just was excited to turn the tank on. Will have too now since the water that came in shorted something out. I'm a relatively new Kayaker as I have about 25 trips in me and started out last Fall and Winter. I work days in the Summer and can't get as many trips out there when the weather is warmer and it matters less that the trip is wet or dry. Also, I try to avoid the Weekend Summer crowds.

So to have cold water coming in and sitting in water...just ain't gonna cut it. Will keep you posted in the future on the outcomes in the fish report section. Willing to keep on making adjustments, but if I can't figure a solution then I may have to unload this thing or try and trade it for something that's dryer.

[Dirty Curti]

I'm about the same weight as you 210, 215 sometimes 220 if we BBQ'd during the weekend. What I did for the bait tank was to remove the black slips in the drainage area, I tried drilling holes first but didn't work, and put large scupper plugs in there so it still has room to drain but keeps the dines and chovies in the tank. Also having the right amount of pressure flow into the well helps. It will also change depending on what bait your are keeping alive.

I've been testing the drain plug out to see if enough water flows in and out to keep the bait alive just in-case the battery runs out and it seems to work okay.

As far as water in the storage compartments i get very little in mine. It happens like you said as a wave or wake comes over the edge or even water dripping from the oar with every stroke but there are little drainage holes in the bottom of my storage bags.

But I do love my vessel for sure.

[alanw]

I've tried it with no pump and no drain plug in the bottom, and for me there just wasn't enough water in the tank (was only about half full) to keep a full scoop of chovies from being overcrowded in. It should work fine for a smaller amount of bait, or if you can't get the top drainage right with the pump on it may help to leave the drain plug out to help with drainage.

I'm also around 210 lbs, which is part of the reason I wanted the stealth's high weight capacity.

[ful-rac]

Heres an old post of my bilge pump set up on my stealth when i had it. Just like you i had the same problems....but i loved my stealth no doubt about that! If your interested check it out.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...lth+bilge+pump

[sanjuancapokayak]

Originally Posted by ful-rac

Heres an old post of my bilge pump set up on my stealth when i had it. Just like you i had the same problems....but i loved my stealth no doubt about that! If your interested check it out.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...lth+bilge+pump

Sweet Tony,
Just curious as to how often you saw water shooting out the side? Thank You for the post, appreciate the pics. That is a project that even I might be able to take on. lol

Whit-

[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by sanjuancapokayak

Sweet Tony,
Just curious as to how often you saw water shooting out the side? Thank You for the post, appreciate the pics. That is a project that even I might be able to take on. lol

Whit-

It was a manual system. I would flip the switch every once and awhile to see if I had any water in there. Usually on surf launches, or when I noticed that my bait tank was overflowing, and also on those rough days.

At times I would get gallons of water in there, but with the pump it wasn't a problem at all.

[sanjuancapokayak]

Originally Posted by ful-rac

It was a manual system. I would flip the switch every once and awhile to see if I had any water in there. Usually on surf launches, or when I noticed that my bait tank was overflowing, and also on those rough days.

At times I would get gallons of water in there, but with the pump it wasn't a problem at all.

planning on copying your exact bilge, will let you know how it goes. Money is very tight for us now, so that will be the factor of when I can get started (and if I place in my fantasy baseball league or not... ha)

Whit-

[uberfish]

I'm bought my stealth 12 about a month ago. So far I've taken it out about 5 times, 1 in the marina and 4 of the coast. I haven't had any water go into my side compartments at all even with a botched surf launch (I'm still learning! ). I do however get a lot of water spilling into the bait hatch from waves going over the boat on launches.

So far as I'm just getting used to the yak, the weight with gear, the sea etc. I'm slowly loading up my yak on each outing to see how it feels. Even though from launches I get water in the bait hatch, nothing spills out of it. I am however getting a little water from the front gator hatch, not too much (again depends on how successful my launches are).

I have noticed that I am accumulating water inside the gator hatch itself, meaning inside the plastic cover. It's annoying because it ends up adding weight and is very difficult to drain. I've reached out to Malibu Kayaks a couple of weeks ago but so far I haven't heard a peep from them. As much as I'm enjoying my kayak it seems they don't have any customer service at all and that I'm on my own to come up with a solution.

sanjuancapokayak, has Malibu gotten back to you at all?

[ful-rac]

I had the same problem too, just drilled a hole on the bottom front part of the gator hatch drained nicely.

[easyday]

Same problem on my x factor drilled a small hole drained well