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PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:52 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:10 pm
Posts: 13
I don't usually participate in forums but I am a long time reader for years and have learned a lot from this forum. I currently have one yellow Island and my new to me red Tandem Island which is work in progress.

List of problems:
*Sail torn in a few small areas. Put some repair tape on for a temporary fix.

*Bottom of boat really dented in from sitting on two piece cradle up to 3/4 of inch dent in hull. Not sure about fixing this or heating it up and a little and gently push it out a little? Seriously Hobie the length of this Tandem boat with its mass should be sitting on minimal 3 piece cradle set for the price you charge for 2 piece cradle set. I will probably build something to support boat length wise.

*Back bottom keel of main hull worn down to almost touching drain plug. Starting to add some plastic to build up now. I asked dealer if they could send me some red plastic so I can color match the repair. The drain plug looked like a dog chewed on it and it was severely corroded along with drain insert. Old plug would not even screw in more than a few turns. I finally got all the corrosion out of the drain plug insert.

*Paddle clip broken off rear aka. Paddle strap stretched out and hanging off front aka by one screw.

*Front carrying toggle torn and retied multiple times.

*internal lines did not work well all tangled up and one old worn out Columbia tennis shoe wedged inside next to lines.

* Mast would not stay in place with tension clip it was too tight with screw and needed a washer and bent out a little to retain mast.

*Front hatch needed rubber on lid and boat reattached.

*3 other hatch lids with twist handle would not operated or close properly so much sand was dried around edges.

*Seats would not remove because so much sand in inserts. It was beyond hell trying to get the one seat out.

*Xbar forward assembly is cracked in the alloy underneath the rubber end cap where aka inserts. Dealer is sending me out an XBAR.


Last edited by Kingquad7686 on Sat May 11, 2013 5:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:25 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 8:48 am
Posts: 159
Location: Southwest Calif.
That's a tough lesson learned !
Never, never, never buy anything sight unseen.
And if the seller is wearing a suit and tie, get away as fast as you can.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:01 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:58 am
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Location: Forster, NSW, Australia
I would like to think that Hobie would get to read this, and make some discreet enquiries about the performance of that dealer and how well it is carrying their name.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:22 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:09 pm
Posts: 187
Location: Sayville, NY
tonystott wrote:
I would like to think that Hobie would get to read this, and make some discreet enquiries about the performance of that dealer and how well it is carrying their name.


I agree.
Guess I'm spoiled having a top notch dealer right around the corner!

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Proud member Kayak Fishing Association of New York


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:11 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
We will connect with the dealer and area rep. Certainly the boat should have been functioning correctly upon delivery at the very least.

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Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:34 am 
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Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 4:13 pm
Posts: 204
Location: oki - jp
wow, sorry to hear all that nonsense. i would ask for my money back and if they said no i would do everything i could to flame that dealership so that they loose business...

what is the name of the retailer? "....from St. Louis Sail and Paddle in MO"


Last edited by rusty_sojah on Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:19 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3057
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
mmiller:
Matt every dealer I have worked with down here in South Florida has been stellar in their knowledge, fairness, and support before and after the purchase of Hobie products. Particularly Economy Tackle in Sarasota, FL. I have purchased quite a number of Hobie kayaks from them now, and they are always very knowledgeable, always very fair, and typically give owners who purchase their kayak from them a discount on accessories, which is very helpful.
My opinion is if Kingquad7686 purchased his Demo boat on good faith, it appears he could have been taken advantage of badly (of course there are two sides to every story).
At the least this should be looked into and discussed with the dealer, and allow them a fair response. As customers we only ask to be treated fairly and honestly. All of us are fine with paying fair market price for your very high quality products with un-equaled support.
The Hobie used market is in my opinion very strong with one of the highest re-sale values in the market today, we would all hate to see a black eye scare everyone who might not be able to afford a new boat from buying used Hobies. Keep in mind loyalty to your brand is un-equaled, I think you will find in a ridiculous number of cases people selling their used Hobies are purchasing new Hobies (trading up).
Let be real here has anyone ever sold and got rid of their Hobie to buy a brand new Ocean, or Wilderness kayak ("NO").
I'm just saying I feel Hobie is on the right track as a happy customer myself, and I would not like to be de-railed by not being able to trade up when your next great innovation comes out.
My opinion is Hobie dealers should be given incentives to take trade-ins. As an example when I traded in my Oasis for a Tandem Island, the dealer went through the boat, cleaning it up fixing all the scratches in the hull with their hot iron tool, and replacing any worn equipment, I'm pretty sure that boat sold quickly, and everyone involved was happy. Someone who might not have been able to afford a new Hobie at the time, is quite probably a happy Hobie lifetime customer now, who's next purchase will surely be a new Hobie when he is ready to upgrade to his next adventure.
my 2 cents
Bob


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:18 am 
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Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 5:06 am
Posts: 1701
Location: Lake Macquarie NSW AUSTRALIA
This exercise of sharing your misfortune could be a good example of how the new 'Social Media' system works. Hopefully shoddy dealers will eventually get the message that it doesn't pay to stuff over the masses. Hope it all works out for you Kingquad.

'Power to the People'.

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Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:39 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:10 pm
Posts: 13
I am sad about what happened and I don't even like putting post up like this but I have worked so many hours on this boat trying to get it back into shape it has become discouraging. I probably spent 2 hours with mirrors and flashlight trying to get internal lines all back in working order. I spent an hour cleaning corrosion out of rear metal drain insert of hull and trying to get it functioning again. 1/2 hour on sail prep and quick repair of tape. 3 hours reshaping worn down to drain plug area of main hull used some plastic off 1 gallon water jugs and a little scrap red I found in garage. Its a very slow process melding plastic but I am decent at shaping and working with plastic repair. Countless hours trying to clean and get sand and crud out of critical areas for things to operate smoothly again. 1/2 hour with mast clip trying to get it working properly again. The xbar forward assembly just about caused me to blow a gasket its like I got so many hours into repairing this boat then I noticed that it had cracks.

I love these Islands they are so versatile and I brag to everyone I see about how wonderful these things are along with the mirage drive. They draw a lot of attention and people are always curious and asking me questions out on the lake. I just would have hate to witness anyone take this demo tandem boat out and have a negative experience with the control lines in their previous condition. The boat is turning around nice and should be decent again and that is what matters.


Last edited by Kingquad7686 on Sat May 11, 2013 5:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 11:58 am 
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Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:34 pm
Posts: 236
Location: Hobie Cat: Oceanside, CA
Your dealer has been trying to get a hold of you via phone and email. Please get in contact so they can have a chance to help you.

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:51 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 2:31 pm
Posts: 3068
Location: Kailua 96734
With the possible exception of the sail tear, all these items are minor (and easily fixed with Kingquad7686's skill level), so I disagree with his's assumption that the TI was worth only $2500 (close to 1/2 the retail price).

Photos would have helped him and us, cuz "seeing is believing", and I'm sure he would agree with this now.

If the boat is hot stamped with a "DEMO" marking on the gunwale, it should be under full warranty and Hobie will work with the dealer to get you a new crossbar and retainer clip if needed. No big deal. Usually. (Still, I would do a complete leak test, as an extra precaution).

But assuming this was not a rushed deal, there's no excuse for allowing the boat to go out in such a shoddy and dirty condition. The dealer should have provided some tune-up services for sure. The rudder lines for example. And some plastic for the keel repair. Maybe a repair kit, since the customer was from out of town.

Speaking of plastic, most people would put a small down payment on a credit card to hold a purchase like this, and pay the balance after inspection. The credit card allows you more options for getting refunds or negotiating, after the fact.

So, at the risk of sounding insensitive, I don't think Kingquad7686's situation is that bad, but I'm glad he brought it to our attention. It was a good lesson, and we'll see what Hobie can do.


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 12:46 pm 
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Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:37 pm
Posts: 95
Location: Puget Sound, Washington USA
Quote:
Kingquad 7686 said:
*Bottom of boat really dented in from sitting on two piece cradle up to 3/4 of inch dent in hull. Not sure about fixing this or heating it up and a little and gently push it out a little? Seriously Hobie the length of this Tandem boat with its mass should be sitting on minimal 3 piece cradle set for the price you charge for 2 piece cradle set. I will probably build something to support boat length wise.


Plastic kayaks are famous for this. Hobie Islands, especially the TI, are probably more susceptible to this because of their weight. The good news is that it is almost certainly easily fixable. My suggestion is to ignore the problem for a couple of months until you get one of those 90 to 100 degree days for which the mid-west is famous. Then close up the hatches as tight as possible, take it out in the hot sun, and turn it upside down with the dent in direct sunlight if possible. Come back in a couple of hours and I'm guessing the dent will be gone. There are two reasons: 1) This plastic has a memory, and likes to do what Hobie told it to do -- given a bit of warmth for softening, and 2) The expanding air inside this solar oven will push out a bit. Remember to keep the boat well supported or you might create other dents and bends.

If that does not work, add plan B: Push on the dent from the inside.

If that still fails, watch Hobie's video on repairing this sort of problem. As I recall, it involves increasing air pressure inside the hull using a reversed vacuum cleaner hose.

I agree with you, a plastic boat that big needs more support than two cradles. I would suggest the 2 cradles plus bow & stern support

Hope you enjoy the boat in spite of the problems.


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 3:18 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 4:13 pm
Posts: 204
Location: oki - jp
i had an AMA dented pretty good after a typhoon last year and it pretty much fixed itself by me just leaving it in the sun for about a month while i waited on other replacement parts came in. i thought it was my imagination at first but it seemed like it was getting better on its own a little bit each day until i finally pulled up a pic i took immediately after the damage and realized it wasn't my imagination... :)


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:05 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:10 pm
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I fixed the front paddle strap that was worn out and hanging on by one screw. I first tried much larger washer but looked a little goofy and hole was really big. Probably three ways of doing this repair. First buy a new paddle bungee strap that fits on front aka probably fastest way of doing things. Second way of repair would be stitching material over large hole then make new hole for more snug fit with screw and washer. Third style I took propane torch and melted some black scrap strap into existing hole. I added deck screw and melted more black strap around the deck screw and then unscrewed. I added screw and washer to hold paddle bungee strap back onto front aka.

I also modified the rudder handles a little I noticed that they were rubbing on boat. I was not sure if it was messed up lines or not so I removed them and replaced them again. I was not use to Tandem island with dual controls and up line would not retract if rudder up or down it just sat in boat tucked in pocket. It had nothing to do with rudder handles but lines were overlapped around springs and shoe wedged in there may have caused it to overlap itself. I took Dremel tool to rudder handles to remove a little access material on ends. I picked up some of the steering knob assembly for both rudders controls from Austin Kayak.

I pitched the one shoe. Sorry, if anyone was looking for a lost Columbia shoe it was looking a little worn out and taking up extra garage space.

I may try some Kiteaid if Tear Aide -A does not hold up well. The Tear Aide is not sticking well to red fabric of sail.

Hopefully I can free up some time and concentrate on a trailer set up for this boat. I am concentrating on house repairs at same time so I am running out of free time for trailer set up. Boat repair was not something I budgeting time for
but its mostly done. Only thing left is maybe fix sail repair again and front xbar that is cracked.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 3:00 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:58 am
Posts: 2893
Location: Forster, NSW, Australia
What did the dealer do when you contacted him? (see BCastle's post 6 days ago)

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker


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