Tom Kirkman wrote:
You won't read about the thousands upon thousands of PA owners that haven't had hull cracks or problems because they have no reason to post. I don't have the numbers to say for sure, but I'd guess that for every person you've heard from that's had a PA that developed a hull crack there's 100 more that haven't had a single problem of any kind. I haven't had any problems with my PA, nor have my 2 fishing buddies that also own PAs.
In other words, problems are the exception and not the rule.
Really Tom ........... We have a forum with over 1000 members ......... many w/Hobies ...... and many with replaced hulls ......... I know 1 that is a well known tackle maker that is on his 3rd or 4th hull and he is a Hobie Pro with an Outback .......... also on 1 Forum in New York and another couple in VA .......... same all around ......... while it is not the majority that have the cracked hulls, there are quite a few .. I would estimate well over 10% and more with the frequent users ..... more than you hear from any other manufacturer ........... In addition, the coverage is getting worse and not better ........... 1 friend just had his crack behind the seat and they offered him a 2013 but charged him more than I would have expected ........ same with the tackle maker ..........
Don't get me wrong ......... I LOVE my PA's ( I have 2 of them) and I really haven't used them much ...... especially this year but they do break and more than just an exception.
That said, Hobie stands behind them but many times it's not a free replacement and more expensive than you'd think.
That said, no one is buying something else to replace them ......... no one