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| Cracks discovered http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=11329 |
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| Author: | theo61 [ Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:53 am ] |
| Post subject: | Cracks discovered |
During the Month of Nov I fished heavily in the Hobie tournament. I was noticing a lot more water in the hull than I was comfortable with. The last trip in rough water I counted 25 large spongefuls of water (approx 1.5 gallons) after just 4 hours in rough waters. During my detailed inspection of the yak I noticed a very large crack just inside the Ama cross brace. The crack is about 2 inches long and about 1/16th wide. Has anyone else experienced a crack like this? I am not sure this is the source of the water intrusion becasue it is usually above the water line although in rough water this area can see a lot of water. Are there other places I should look for cracks? Suggestions on repair? Thanks, Ted |
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| Author: | Aledal [ Sun Dec 07, 2008 12:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Whoa!!-That doesnt sound good. Cant visualize from your description exactly where the crack is. If the boat hull itsel is cracked(especially near that cross brace) I think it is likely to spread. I used to take my Outback out in rough weather and come back with far more water than that though.Sorry-Cant advise on repairs but Im sure Hobie can help.Good luck-be safe-Jeff |
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| Author: | antbric [ Sun Dec 07, 2008 1:58 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
yeah, i've got a similar problem. there's a crack inside the hole on the ama that receives the vaka. it goes about 1/3 the circumference of the hole. it's at the top of the ledge in there. i had a lot of water(2-3 gallons)in the ama after a good afternoon of sailing. i thought i might've left the drain plug loose but that wasn't the case, after taking the ama off and inspecting much closer i saw the crack. the next day i went out for a short while there was maybe a quart of water when i came in. i used duct tape to cover the crack and went out for about 20 minutes no water this time. i went again out for about 2 hours still no water in the ama. i don't recommend this as a solution but it did prove that a lot of water can get in through a relatively small hole. i'm gonna try the plastic weld kit hobie has. i hope i don't make it worse. |
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| Author: | Aledal [ Sun Dec 07, 2008 2:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Sorry-I dont know how you understood where the crack was but the boat is breaking new ground(no fun intended). So just order a new ama?I never liked Hobies`"less is more" philosophy. |
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| Author: | Aledal [ Sun Dec 07, 2008 4:56 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Damn it-now I know it too. Facing forward-the left ama took on water,sorry I didnt understand right away guys.It happenned to me too. |
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| Author: | Philip1el [ Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
During the Month of Nov I fished heavily in the Hobie tournament. I had a lot of water(2-3 gallons)in the ama after a good afternoon of sailing. I have sailed in very strong wind, with big swell That's a possible, but when its really rough out there... Could it be that those of us that experience these kind of problems are sailing in conditions that exceed the original remit of this craft and what was that remit? Same goes for rudder problems. Theres a limit to versatility, you own a swiss army knife of a craft but dont try to fell a tree with it. I shall go scrutinise my hull and ama right away! Good luck with the fixes. Philip |
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| Author: | donjoe [ Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Is it possible to post pics of these cracks? I have become quite paranoid, inspecting my hull inside and out after every outing, it is actually beginning to take some of the fun out of the boat. It has been too cold to sail here lately (water freezes around mast, sail and sheets) so I have it away for the season. The boat is however out in the cold of NH, I hope this doesn't make the plastic any more brittle. |
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| Author: | theo61 [ Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:53 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Let me be very clear. My post was not to make anyone paranoid or fearful of buying or using the Hobie yaks. This company has the best dang yaks, technology, gadgets and coolness factor of any company in the outdoor sports arena. Add to that the customer service, tournament sponsorship and online forums and you will have to look long and hard to find a company that is better for the sport. I love their yaks, their people and their coolness. Just last night I sold an older, used OK kayak and in talking to the buyer I sounded like one of those lunatic Hobie fanatics that I swore I would never become. My original post about the crack was to ask the universe of AI owners if any of them have seen a crack in this spot (near the aka cross brace). If there was a common problem then Hobie would have info to learn from. If this is not a common problem then I and Hobie will know that this is limited to my yak. Either answer provides useful info for me and maybe to Hobie. Donjoe, I have never worried about plastic rotomolded products and the cold. The UV from the sun is damaging but I don't believe cold can do any harm. Hobie might be able to answer this better. |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Donjoe, I agree with Theo61, the AI is a tough boat. Nevertheless, when people talk of problems, it definitely makes one a bit paranoid. (I go on incessantly about my hull leaking--I don't think it should, AND I think it is largely due to the twist-n-seal hatch designs which are very difficult to keep clean.) My background is sea kayaks, especially fiberglass/kevlar kayaks. Frankly, these NEVER (almost) have problems. But, I've learned the rotomolded AI is a different animal. I think there are inherent problems in the rotomolding process (partly in an effort to keep the weight down), which lead to production errors, which in turn lead to an occasional crack in the hull. If the noise gets loud enough, I'm sure Hobie tries to correct it. They try to run a good business and keep their customers happy. There have been a "lot" of boats reporting that the cam shaft columns break. Other breaks around the Mirage Drive hole have been reported; the seat post holes crack (I reinforced mine according to the recommendation of Reconlon, aka Kayaking Bob.) More recently I have removed the seat pegs, period. Those seem to be the main hull problems. Some people have recently reported their amas leaking due to cracks around the aka insertion holes. Theo61, I have seen at least one other thead regarding a crack around the AI cross bar connection. So far, my AI has performed almost flawlessly. Other than water-in-the-hull (I hate it), no problems w/ the plastic portion of the hull. I have experienced a bit of a problem with the Mirage Drive masts coming out while underway--even though I tightened the allen screws holdng them. Hobie has recently addressed this problem on newer boats--screw-in masts instead of retaining allen screws. I may look into an upgrade. Keith |
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| Author: | mmiller [ Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:45 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
theo61 wrote: My original post about the crack was to ask the universe of AI owners if any of them have seen a crack in this spot (near the aka cross brace). If there was a common problem then Hobie would have info to learn from. If this is not a common problem then I and Hobie will know that this is limited to my yak. Either answer provides useful info for me and maybe to Hobie.
We have maybe one other boat with a crack reported near the crossbar, so not a lot of data on this. Have you filed a warranty claim with a dealer? I'm sure we can help. |
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| Author: | theo61 [ Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Be careful to dredge up old complaints. 2 years ago there were lots of complaints on this site and on KFS about the mirage well leaks (front shelf) and Hobie fixed it. Last year the Turbo fins stressed the cam area and caused leaks, Hobie fixed it. That is exactly the type of company I want to buy from, over and over. Ted |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I don't think I'm guilty of dredging up old reports. I've only had my boat a little over a year and the reports I am talking about are during the past year. Hopefully, they are ALL fixed. But, then us "early" adopters will be feeling sorry for ourselves. Keith |
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