New kayak plans

I'm actually thinking about going back to an X-Factor. The Stealth 14 is a nice yak with some very good features, but it does take on a lot of water. I haven't figured out exactly what the cause is. All evidence points to the bow hatch and the center hatches. I don't know if it is one or both. I need to launch from the bay to verify the culprit. If I don't take on any water during the launch, but I come back in wet, I'll know it is the side hatches. I don't mind pumping out the hull occasionally, but this is a little much. I've never had a yak take on this much water before. The X used to get some on surf launches, but after I modified the bow hatch it was significantly reduced. I can mod the bow hatch on the stealth to make it a little more watertight, but I can't do much about those side hatches.

Most of my reasons for going with the Stealth don't seem to make much sense now. The reduction in fabrication and installation time didn't pan out. Now that I have the rear hatch tank storage, I could just drop it into an X-factor with no problems. I could get CJ to make me a Kayatank. The installation would be easy enough as long as I start with a bare yak. Actually, starting with a bare yak would make make a lot of things easier. The rudder installation would definitely be easier. It is ironic, but I overcame most of the issues with the X when I was working on the Stealth. I could apply all of those fixes to a new X. The only concerns I still have about the X-Factor are:
1. Hull thickness and flex. I would go with another heavy layup to help with this problem. I can also reinforce the seat posts and use inflatable fenders or foam in the hull to support the seat.
2. Bow hatch waterproofing. I would need to cut the bow hatch myself to make it a little drier. That should be easy enough
3. Cost. I don't want to lose too much on a replacement. I need to sell the Stealth for at least $500-$600 to make this doable. I don't want to leave the RAM rod holders, FF/GPS, storage box and rudder on it when I sell it. The cost of replacing those would be more than the yak. I'm just hoping I can cobble together enough parts to make the stripped yak worth selling. I can easily add flush-mount rod holders and I think I still have the foot rests and tracks. I would even include the seat and cart with it to get a decent price.

The biggest concern is that it will cost me another couple of weeks of time and effort to make the switch. If I'm going to do it, I've got to make a decision quickly.