Revo - Mystery Leak

My 08' Revo has sprung a leak.

I'm up to about 3 cups of water after 6 hours pedaling and paddling.

Any tips for finding the leak? I pulled the cam bolts and nothing. Also used a 100Watt light and nothing.

The sail post does seem a bit loose. Looking down into the post, there is a slot at the bottom. Is this used to tighten up the post to the bottom hull?

I also have a Revo but haven't had any leaks. And that's good.
There are several posts here that explain how to find a leak.
The one I would use is to close all the hatches but one. Use duct tape to cover one of the hatches and seal a hose from a shop vac through it . Run the vac to pressurizer the hull and run water from a hose over the outside of the hull. Any leaks should bubble the water. Some will use a soap solution and brush it on. You may also want to seal where the rudder lines enter the hull.
I'm sure you get the idea.

If you find a crack it may be covered by Hobie. Need to see your dealer.

Bruce

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Everything before 60 is just a rehearsal!

I went out today and checked for water every few mins. The leak is in the mast/drive area. I'm planning on doing the wet-n-dry vacuum test to locate the precise spot.

How does Hobie warranty leaks? Does it have to be gallons per second? If it's a structural leak, you get a replacement? Any other type of leak, you get a roll of duct tape?

Structural... below-waterline leaks are cause for replacement for sure.

Contact your dealer with your findings.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I did the pressurized hull check procedure. I went to town and used my air compressor. I set the regulator at a sane pressure but found no below the water line leaks.

Next, I put my revo and my 10 year son in the pool. Didn't take long to find the leak! I had spotted the crack a few months ago but ignored it since it looked like a superficial scratch.

Yeah... That's in a place that's resulted in warranty replacement. See your dealer so that he can get the claim started. Email the dealer a copy of the picture too.

That looks like the drive was not seated properly. I have a well used 2 year old boat and there is nowhere near that amount of wear at that spot.

I wonder if you ever noticed the drive 'flexing' or moving around?

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Some come to laugh the past away;
Some come to make it just one more day.
Whichever way you pleasure tends;
But if you plant ice, you gonna harvest wind.

I've had the revo since the end of March this year. I've been out in it every Saturday since and typically put on about 5 miles or so. The pic is of the starboard side. There is no wear to speak off on the plastic. The black is just a smudge from drive rod. Both sides have the same smudge. If you look closely there is a plastic lip on the left of the front (toward to bow of the boat). The opposite side has the same. There is a chance I might have had the cams loose at one point but not more than for a couple of strokes.

The column of plastic that the bolt fits in isn't straight but has a bit of a hook towards the end where it attaches to the hull. The plastic at this point looks a bit stressed. My guess is that the bolt bottomed out. Although, the column could of been stressed from use just the same.

I have the standard fins and honestly haven't hit any rocks. The revo is exclusively for Florida flats fishing

I'm very happy with my first hobie kayak even considering the leak.

It's not like our hulls are cracking in half. Some of my kayak friends with other brands carry duck tape