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 Post subject: Soft spot in hull
PostPosted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:54 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:54 am
Posts: 5
Is there a way to repair a soft spot in the hull? it's located just in front of the rear crossbeam. Thanks


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 Post subject: FAQ
PostPosted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 11:23 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
See the FAQ in the issue:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=1156

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


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:52 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:41 pm
Posts: 12
Mr. Miller;
I followed the Hobie suggested repairs on a H 16 I used to own, so when I began to do the same on some spots on my H 17 I was suprised to find they did not seem to be due to delamination. I used a block of wood to keep my drill bit from penetrating too far, but was unable to find the teltale space between the layers of fiberglass in the soft area. Finally I pushed the bit through all the way into the cavity of the hull. When looking into the rear inspection port I can see large blocks of foam that seem could only have been factory installed. These are loose now and seem to be right under the soft area. Can I simply inject some expanding foam under the soft area to support the hull and fix the loose foam blocks in place?

(Waiting with foam applicator in hand for your reply)

Rex J.


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 Post subject: Blocks
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 3:33 pm 
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The foam blocks are unrelated. These are loose inside all Hobie Cats.

Perhaps the area is just glass and has cracked? Exactly where in the deck? Can you get a photo?

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


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 Post subject: location of soft spots
PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:57 am 
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Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:41 pm
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Thanks for the fast reply. The soft spot is located immediately in front of the rear cross bar, starting about 6" and going to about 6" behind the center board housing. When I drilled holes for resin injection the fiberglass seemed to be about 1/4" thick in this area, with no obvious delamination, but yet it sags about 3/8" when pressed down. The same condition exists on both sides of the boat.


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 Post subject: Delamination
PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:18 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
The glass is only about a 1/16" to maybe 1/8" thick, so maybe you actually have drilled into the foam. Also...The foam is only located inboard of approx the edge of the non-skid pattern.

This does sound typical. You were not able to determine and inner layer of glass? Perhaps drill a small hole in the outer skin and stop. Use a nail to probe to the bottom layer through the foam.

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


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:33 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:41 pm
Posts: 12
Just a follow up on the fix. I tried the foam, but did not use enough to do much good. I also reexplored my small drill holes and did not see evidence of delamination. Today I decided to go for broke and cut open the hulls to see what was caused such a large soft area. Having seen a Hobie Getaway recently with the built in coolers, I thought it would be worth a shot to install some over the soft spot area. (Keep in mind that this is an older boat that is used primarily for lazy summer days on a local lake). After a visit to Walmart's camping section and $36 worth of stuff I cut open the hull to allow the "revised" cooler shape to fit in.

What I found was surprising. The soft spots were due to large cracks in the fiberglass running parallel with the length of the hull. No amount of resin injected into this area would have helped. It needed some serious surgery or as in my case, modification. The cracks seemed to be confined between the rear cross bar and the centerboard, and on one side there were two parallel cracks about 14" long.

After cutting out a rectangle for the cooler, I framed the cut out with treated lumber and silicone underneath to provide support to the weak area and then screwed & siliconed the modified cooler into the hole. It came out looking good. We will see how it stands the test of time, but I should be able to replace the cooler when needed. Looks like a Hobie Getaway.....with one sail.... I would be glad to include some pictures, but could not figure out how to insert them[/img][url][img] Feel free to email me if you would like more info or pictures.

[email protected][/img]


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