Polyethelene Construction: Service Life?

The AI on my short list, but I'm obsessing over new-vs used.

Part of that would be anticipated service life.

Dunno from kayaks, but in the old Windsurfer days, it seemed like poly boards "Went Soft" after a certain number of years and/or hours of use.

Is this a consideration when shopping for an AI?

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

Peter, AI's that are 7-8 yrs old seem to be doing fine as long as they are stored in your garage or such. Regarding a new vs. used AI, it is a no-brainer. The 2015 AI is immensely improved over pre-2015. It is also much heavier than the Hobie site says. The site specs say the 2015 AI weighs 142# fully rigged. Fact is, the weight is 185# fully rigged. That may be a consideration.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Pete:
We have a 2012 Tandem Island that we use quite a bit, yes it has a few scratches on the bottom, but other than that it looks to be going strong. We store it in the garage out of the Florida sun. I really expect the boat (based on the current wear and use) to last around 8-10 yrs. I'm sure there are some consumables that will need to be replaced like the sail, mesh pocket covers, and maybe a few seals here and there. And I'm sure the mirage drives will need to be taken apart and serviced once in a while.
We have a lot of kayaks around here, I have seen offbrand kayaks that have been stored in the sun for a couple years that become brittle and you can easily punch thru the hull, and the plastic is all faded and bleached almost white. We have never seen that on any Hobies, and I have seen older Hobie models over 10 yrs old out on the water that looked almost new.
Hope this helps
Bob

My wheelie bins sit out in the sun 24/7 and show no signs of degradation. I cannot believe that these bins are any better at avoiding UV damage than the output of Hobie's thoughtful manufacturing process.

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

The 15 year old bullbar on my 4WD is a poly Smartbar and still looks as good as it did when new.

Yeah, old thread... but maybe somebody is on this same journey weight-wise so I will post my own measured weights: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP ... JaRW5TYzBR

Bottom line: For the purpose of hauling it between water's edge and trailer, real-world, I call it 250#.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]