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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:45 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:14 pm
Posts: 39
Midway through my second season with my TI, I took time today to investigate the source of a leak. Every time I sail, I end up with more water in the hull than I would expect. I try hard to keep the hatch seals free of sand, but it still leaks.

Today, I put the hull up on our deck and filled it full of water: the leak became obvious:
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That is the beautiful Lake Huron in the background.

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I hope you can see the steady stream of water shooting out of a tiny hole in the Mirage well. I filled the hull all the way up to see if anything else leaked. I did find that one of my round hatch seals leaked badly and I'll have to watch this carefully.

How to fix this hole? I just ordered the soldering-iron-based hull repair kit:
Image

Hopefully it will arrive this week and I can fix this hole on my next visit to our cottage next weekend.

The good news is that there were no other leaks and this one is easy to access.

Anyone with similar leaks and stories of successful repairs?? I need some encouragement. I've read that the plastic welder is the way to go instead of any kind of goop/epoxy/etc. Do you concur?


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:28 pm 
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Location: Va Beach, Virginia
isn't it still under warranty.


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:33 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:29 pm
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Location: High Point, NC
This should be an easy fix and I'm not even sure you need to bother with the plastic welder. A dab of GOOP from the outside, is likely enough for a near permanent fix.

The trouble with getting a new hull, provided you have a reasonable shot at fixing a simple leak, is that it takes a lot of time to swap everything over, and you may find the new hull deficient in some other manner (just a possibility).

If you have everything else on your TI the way you want it and it's working fine, I'd highly suggest just trying a dab of GOOP pressed into that opening. You may be shocked when it not only fixes it, but stays fixed for years to come.

I'd save the plastic welder, or hull replacement, for more serious problems, such as actual cracks and splits where there may be structural concerns. Your pinhole isn't likely to upset the structural integrity of your hull.


Last edited by Tom Kirkman on Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:59 pm 
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Tom Kirkman wrote:
This should be an easy fix and I'm not even sure you need to bother with the plastic welder. A dab of GOOP from the outside, is likely enough for a near permanent fix.

The trouble with getting a new hull, provided you have a reasonable shot at fixing a simple leak, is that it takes a lot of time to swap everything over, and you may find the new hull deficient in some other manner (just a possibility).

If you have everything else on your TI the way you want it and it's working fine, I'd highly suggest just trying a dab of GOOP pressed into that opening. You may be shocked when it not only fixes it, but stays fixed for years to come.

I'd save the plastic welder for more serious problems, such as actual cracks and splits where there may be structural concerns. Your pinhole isn't likely to upset the structural integrity of your hull.


Thanks for the advice. Even if my hull is under warranty, it just wouldn't be practical for me to pull it off the beach and transport to the nearest dealer.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:14 pm 
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Update:
While it may be overkill, I ordered the Hobie plastic welding gadget anyway. I plugged the hold and confirmed no leaks in a sail yesterday. I did learn that the plastic welder requires a bit of finess! It is particularly tricky trying to plug a hole in a concave surface as the edges of the hot welder tip touch the hull before it can touch the hole. I had to be careful not to melt in two new slots on either side of the existing hole.

The good news is that no curing is required - only cooling. The hole was fixed in under 15 minutes from plugging in the welder to having the hole sealed.

At least I have this tool for any other hull repairs that I may need for this or my other kayaks.


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:33 pm 
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As a newbie...have just been going through the forum and saw this leak-- YIKES-- I think I am headed there. I had the boat out in full bright sun light to check things over and looked down in the hatch ...I can see light through the hull. NO hole yet but must be very thin in that spot where yours is spouting a stream. Now I will be watching...or more like worrying when it will fail.

Have loved the TI and we are now in Fort Myers Beach for 4 months so all smiles as the water is a little hard in Feb. in Minnesota--- :lol:


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:51 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:29 pm
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Location: High Point, NC
Try not to worry too much about seeing light through the hull. My TI has plenty of "thin" areas but the thing is, rotomolding these hulls is designed to make them thick where they need to be thick and thinner where they don't require being as thick. This helps keep the weight down as well.


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 6:28 am 
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Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:14 pm
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Wannabe wrote:
As a newbie...have just been going through the forum and saw this leak-- YIKES-- I think I am headed there. I had the boat out in full bright sun light to check things over and looked down in the hatch ...I can see light through the hull. NO hole yet but must be very thin in that spot where yours is spouting a stream. Now I will be watching...or more like worrying when it will fail.

Have loved the TI and we are now in Fort Myers Beach for 4 months so all smiles as the water is a little hard in Feb. in Minnesota--- :lol:

Ditto on the not worrying. My tiny hole was a minor annoyance and puzzle - nothing that seriously affected my enjoyment of my TI. Worst case is you buy yourself a $60 plastic welding kit that may come in handy over the (hopefully) long life of the TI.


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 11:43 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15026
Location: Oceanside, California
Great you were able to correct this issue with a simple weld job. Good job! :)

Quote:
isn't it still under warranty


Warranty would handle the issue, but the boat has to be returned to the dealer for service. We would pay a dealer to perform a repair like this.

To be clear... warranty does not mean "replace". I have had a LOT of warranty work done on my truck and other vehicles over the years. They repair every conceivable issue right up to major body, frame and motor issues. You VERY rarely hear of a vehicle being "replaced". Small pinholes or other blems can be repaired, so that is the route we would take.

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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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