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PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:07 pm 
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Location: Oceanside, California
They are not designed to be submarines, but should seal better for sure. Engineering is looking at this again. The flange, lid trim and the web / bungee lengths have to be right for a good seal. It is difficult!

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 7:47 pm 
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I like your comment of these kayaks being able to submarine through waves. Also great for when you flip and not for water to intrude. Possibly a larger version of a twist and lock hatch with a large handle? I vote for making this a new feature on all future models. :)


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 8:21 pm 
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If sealed right the front hatch keeps out a tremendous amount of water. I have had mine over and over to practice self rescues and it's been very dry and sometimes no water at all. Even in heavy weather wave after wave the hatch performs very well This is a very easy fix by Hobie or even a owner who just wants it fix fast and not bother with the red tape. This was just a issue that to many kayaks that I alone knew about so I posted it here and Facebook. The issue now to me is how Hobie will handle this and address the way there employees talk to there customers


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:11 am 
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I spoke with staff here about the conversation. I take it this caller was a bit heated on a Monday morning... then second hand info was relayed possibly out of context. Our guys here had no real solution to offer as this is a newly reported problem on the Outback. That was not acceptable to the caller. They offered various possible solutions and cautions. It's not easy dealing with frustrated customers, but we do try our best. Not that this is an excuse, but the call really should have been made to his dealer as we are not set up as a consumer hotline here.

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Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 11:13 am 
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I agree with most of what you say Matt but I know my friend and he was mad but I have some doubts about him making the conversation heated. I know that 1 of your 2 reps can be hard to deal with and down right rude at times.Not looking to beat a dead horse here and will deal with the dealers in the future


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:34 am 
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I rolled over on my Outback this weekend. I had the bucket in the front hatch. It leaked and got about 1 gal of water inside while it was upside down before I could turn it back over. It seems the bucket or the lid needs to have a seal on it to prevent this. With the bucket in it is plastic against plastic. It obviously cant seal itself. Im thinking a self applied bead of silicon may do the trick, as could some other thin stick on rubber weather stripping. Or the stock rubber seal could have a lip that the plastic tub goes into leaving rubber above the tub to seal against the lid. It is disappointing that a factory designed part does not seal. It seems tho it could be an easy fix.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 5:55 pm 
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For those with 2015 Outbacks, you might want to take a look at the mast area if you're getting leaks from the front hatch area. Obviously this is an extreme test with running water from a hose but it's just something worth taking a look at if you're taking the kayak out beyond the breakers or in rough conditions.
My friend who's kayak is in the video initially thought it was a faulty hatch seal causing the leak. He promptly replaced the seal with a thicker one to see if that would solve the problem. The hatch area was still leaking after the replacement so he decided to set up a GoPro inside to capture any visible leaks.
Below is a vid of the leakage for your viewing pleasure.

https://vimeo.com/132573744 (Not viewable on portable devices)


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 11:17 am 
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So the fix to all this was simply placing a spare gasket from battery install kit around the mast cutout and reinserting the mast tube. He said it solved the problem. Another alternative is applying marine Goop on the threads of the mast tube and sealing it that way. That saved possibly days/weeks of downtime at the dealer letting them diagnose the issue and then conferring with Hobie to come up with a solution. I've been through that with my Adventure Island. It stayed at the dealer for a few weeks for them to figure out the leak and then Hobie coming up with a solution. Yes, everyone here realizes and understands the concept of paying for a product and letting the dealer take care of all the issues but some things can just be knocked out at home...and quickly at that. Hope this helps everyone.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 8:50 pm 
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Location: Sonoma County, California
Thanks for the post/video. I wonder if the mast tube should be sealed on my Revo16? I might just unscrew it & thread it back in with some teflon paste or tape. I'm sure Goop would work but it might make removing the tube very difficult should it become damaged sometime in the future.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 8:51 pm 
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Yeah Goop would be more of a permanent fix. Good call on the Teflon tape. Didn't think about that.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:55 am 
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Just spent an hour practicing re-entry in my pool. I had removed the front factory add-on bucket so it would not leak as it had done last time. I had it rolled over about 7-10 times and a total of about 5 mins upside down. I noticed that it was rolling slowly side to side the last time a I got back on it. I checked and it had 4" deep water in the center hatch area when I looked in. I got it out and turned it upside down with the front elevated slightly to check for leaks. Very heavy, Im guessing 5 gals or so. I found slow dribbles from the control line holes. No major leaks. I let the front end down so the water would get up around the front hatch and the water poured out big time. So, Im estimating that it gets about a gal a minute, or more, thru the front hatch seal when upside down. I had thot the previous leak was due to the bucket in the front hatch, but it was not.

I will contact my dealer.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 10:21 am 
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It seems simple to solve to me...if the seal were made taller it would then seal against the plastic lid...but that would not work for the bucket when installed...it would need a lip for the bucket to tuck into so that it would leave rubber above it to seal to the lid....or, the seal could be made wider so that it seals against the outer edge of the plastic lid where it rolls over...seems sooo easy, wonder why they have not done it??


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:24 am 
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Location: Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
In the Hobie promo manufacturing video I saw a little of the process of cutting out the forward hatches on the newly moulded hulls, I noticed no jig or pattern-guide although there may be. It's worth remembering that every Hatch and Hull cools to a slightly different shape/size which may affect the fit.

On the other hand, this is a large hatch and I would not expect any kayak to be completely waterproof with this type of hatch cover when inverted.
But mostly so at least as my AI1 one hatch has never leaked, have not tried my 2015 boats in water-over-bow conditions yet so don't know, it seems random?

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:09 am 
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I put grease on my gasket and closed the hatch...the seal only touches about 1/3 of the way around. I may also have the too short hinge material also...a friend got a new 2015 and he noticed that my hatch is offset to the front more than his is, approx. a finger width under the trailing edge difference.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:01 am 
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Location: Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
Hmm, can you tell me which way it is offset I didn't quite get how you mean.

Do you mean the rear of the hatch sits higher than the front?

Thanks in advance.

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