First Kayak

[wiredantz]

This happened alot on the older model x-factors. Before they redesigned the hull.

You see how there is only twp Support under the seat and they run parallel in the middle... The new ones have two and not in the middle they are side by side like a foot apart and perpendicular to the way the boat runs.


When the x-factor was carried by two people/or it may have been a heavy set paddler, it would bend and put alot of pressure on that specific support beam under the seat and would crack if it was heavy enough.


To correct this flaw... Malibu Kayak


I believe (and i may be wrong with this) used a piece of wood with 5200 glue to reinforce it, whenever it cracked. This worked because the scupper hole was only there for support.



My Grey X-factor has the exact same flaw, but is a minute crack. I know for a fact that no water comes inside the hull, on the grey x-factor.

It has a piece of wood (dowel) and then its glued inside with 5200 glue. Super strength bond.



Althought i would probably take it to OEX, so they can see if it needs to be reinforced more, on the top...


This was an old PM: from DJAX65


I had applied an epoxy coating to the seat posts on my old X-Factor. The idea was that the hardened epoxy would take the load on the seat, rather than the thin plastic. I also used 3M 5200 on the inside and outside of all the scuppers to prevent small leaks/cracks from flooding the hull. If I had to reinforce a scupper/seat post again, I would do it the way Malibu repairs broken scuppers. They epoxy a wooden dowel into the scupper, blocking it off completely. Rather than using the dowel, I would use a section of PVC pipe. This would effectively reinforce the scupper, but it would still allow some drainage.

I reinforced the seat posts because the X-Factor had a lot of hull flex and there was a lot of weight supported by those two posts/scuppers. The scuppers/seat posts are the most heavily stressed parts of the hull and they are also the area that most frequently has molding defects. Based on that, I decided that it would be prudent to reinforce the seat posts. My decision was prompted by a recent experience with a poorly molded OK Prowler, which left me swimming at San Clemente Island and missing several rods/reels.