Warranty Info

A couple of months back I posted on KFS about taking on 2 pints of water. I know I know, was probably rudder line leakage.

Today calm seas, yak seemed very slow. Got it in. Full of H2O. Had a precie medical bottle I use for my drinking water my RN wife got from a medical rep. So very carefully bailed it dry with that using a sponge to squeeze in the last few bottle loads. 641 oz or 5 gallons plus a tad.

That made me just a bit upset as I had done a fill up the yak routine on the driveway when I got the two pints and didn't discover anything. However 5 gallons doesn't come through the rudder lines.

I'm up to the local dealer tommorow to do an air test.

Questions:

1. This guy was not who I bought my Adventure from. I bought it from an Oahu dealer, Windward Boats, because this dealer hadn't been approved by Hobie when I purchsed it.

Matt what is Hobie's policy about re-imbursing dealers who service customer warranty problems for boats sold by other dealers?

I mean I can deliver the yak to him in an hours drive. For the Oahu dealer I have to crate up the hull and ship it inter-island.

2. Do I have to find the leak or is that the dealers job? (may be a redundant question after tomorrow's test)

3. Is Hobie doing dealer patches or hull replacements? ie: would he have a hot gun?

There are advantages to each. A new hull is nice, but a patch saves me 2 days work taking all my own fittings off (compass, rod holder, etc) and replacing on new hull.

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Dan,

Sorry buddy.

Assuming this is not a hole caused by coral, shark bites or marlin spear! We will work with the local dealer and pay them any labor costs. Certainly better done locally. Let us know where the leak is and we can make a decision from there as to what the best remedy will be. Can't tell you if they own a heat gun, but we can loan equipment for repairs if needed.

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

OK

Got up to my local dealer P&K Kayaks, Kelly Harrison.

He had me bring the yak up. We offloaded it, and placed it in his testing area. Kelly has an air compressor for doing air tests. Includes a bypass valve to keep from over loading yak hulls.

He put the air hose into the drain plug as Matt has suggested elsewhere.

Liberal spraying with a soap solution.

OH Oh. The dreaded Mirage well leak, even though I had installed the fix kit awhile back when it first came out. In the photo I missed some of the big bubbles but you can see the soap popping up.



Kelly to the rescue ! Here he's heating up some small pieces of poly to seal the leak.



He said he's not sure if this will standup to the pressure of the drive, but I will try to find out Sunday with a water test.

Also says in light of his post about labor, Matt owes him $20, but Hobie can take it off his bill!

So we will see. I'm a little leary of this patch. Anyone have success with this method?

What is the next step in the warranty procedure if this doesn't work?

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Hi Dan and others, my 2005 Outback turned into a submarine about a month ago during a night fishing adventure, and an adventure it was. I found the leak very quickly the next day and to my supprise found that the retro strengthing patch had been fitted. Not by me or the dealer I purchased it from. I assume the factory have fitted it. Anyway, I took it out to my dealer and within two weeks I had a new 2007 hull ready for pick-up.

I paid the shipping costs to have the new hull sent to me and our local dealer (Outdoors and Beyond in Wagga) are returning my old hull free of charge.

So I'm back on the water thanks to a teriffic dealer and a common sence appoach by Hobie. Can't ask for any better than that.

I hope your plastic welding job keeps the water on the outside Dan.

All the best, Steve.

Dan,

Was the kit installed on your boat after a crack the first time? Looks like some white material in there showing.

Anyway... next step? If you are not satisfied, ask for a replacement hull. I would suggest it. We do not try to fix these.

Matt

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

Was the kit installed on your boat after a crack the first time? Looks like some white material in there showing.

Yes, I posted a pic somewhere.

Anyway... next step? If you are not satisfied, ask for a replacement hull. I would suggest it. We do not try to fix these.

OK. In all fairness Kelly's patch worked on a short test run. But as I said I have my doubts as to whether this would hold up, and at 3-5 miles off shore I don't want to find out.

I guess I go through him? He did do the leak verification.

Edit:

He will call you to confirm.

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I'd just like everyone on this list to know that Hobie is shipping a new hull out.

The service of this company for consumers is unparalleled as far as I am concerned.

A big mahalo nui loa for Matt, Kelly, and Hobie.

Aloha

Dan

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Congratulations Dan! Do I see an Island in your future?

RR

Maybe with the JEM craft I'm working on. It will be a complete Hobie AI, sail, ama, fittings, drive,etc except the hull which has my 6' fish box and inside rod storage. I think it's going to be a hell of a prototype fishing hull for Hobie to take a look at.

I could double up and have two Ai hulls using this replacement hull by getting an extra mast step and center cross pieces. IF the coffee and lychee (my first lychee crop) come in pretty good. Kind of my game plan with the old hull if I could have ever figured out a conversion kit. Your little invention solved the small sail problem which my wife can handle, but the 60 ft sq AI probably beyond her.

Fortunately coffee looks good right now. We have had rain contrary to what has been reported. We will give free farm tours in August to those that want to help pick.

I am leary though. If I convert the replacement hull you will probably heckle me for GPS data to compare the two hulls. You won't like the photographs of the GPS data and probably then report me to Capt. J for not providing true facts I developed during the test runs.

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Yes, sad to say but true. I'm really getting desperate for acceptable data. Are you sure you don't have some for me? It doesn't have to be related to speed or anything as long as it can be done on a "Hobie" and we make sure it beats props. How about something like number of coffee beans per minute the average person can stick up their nose per pedal stroke on a Hobie kayak, compared with a prop pedaled boat?

Next we need a catchy name for it, like the "Ibstuffedup" test. Finally we need corroborating evidence like the number of Kleenex tissues it takes to blow the beans out. Help!