Tom Kirkman wrote:
I don't believe the front hatch was designed to be absolutely watertight if the boat is submerged or capsized. It's only designed to keep out water from splash, rain, etc. It seems to do that.
Really ........... I have 2 PA 14's and they both leak like seives when it rains. The other 1 that I had sat outside for several months and it was 1/4 full of water when I checked it. This is 1 of the improvements Hobie should be making on their PA's. It has been well documented here. People have actually put adjustable straps on the hatches to tighten them down to make them water tight and installed extra weatherstripping. In addition, It's an accident waiting to happen. I know of at least a couple reports of the 14's being sunk and lost and a video that was posted on here of someones turtling while surf launching that document it. Seems the front hatch is the problem. If you use the tray for storage and you turtle, the stuff stored pushes on the hatch and allows water to pour into the hull. A simple adjustable strap would take care of this. Plenty of documentation for a lawsuit if someone gets hurt because of it.
I agree with Oldtimer, this would be a recall from an auto manufacturer.
Don't get me wrong ........ I Love my PA's and promote them on many different websites ......... but there are some simple improvements that they could make them (even as options) sooooo much better .......... and they are fully documented on many websites.