NEW Backrests, half painted, scratched and UGLY!

I bought a new Wave in December and love it! It doesn't take much wind and away You go. My wife and kids can sail it easily. It's a blast!
I ordered new backrests when I bought the Wave and they finally came in a few days ago. I was very disappointed when I opened the package though. They came packaged together and are all scratched up and almost half of the black paint is missing and looks like gray over-spray. They look VERY ugly, used and old! When I was getting ready to put them on I thought how old and ugly they would make my new Wave look. So I didn't put them on. After paying close to $600 for 2 backrests You would think they would at least be fully painted??? I live in Hawaii so I can see why Hobie packaged them up together to save a few bucks but these look horrible. They should have been packaged separately. And they should have been fully painted.
Then I noticed the screws holding the front wires that go to the mast were loose, really loose. I unscrewed them with my fingers with little effort. I looked in the assembly instructions and it said they were supposed to have lock-tite put on them when assembled. But no such luck with my new Wave. Now I have to go through the entire boat and take all the screws off, lock-tite them and reassemble. I don't want anyone getting killed by the mast hitting them in the head and I wish my dealer felt the same when he assembled the boat. Apparently he didn't have any lock-tite handy so he just skipped it. I also bought a trailer from the Hobie dealer and it was put together so badly I thought it would fall apart before I could get it back to the store. The springs were allowed to hang loosely because they didn't line up the bolts when assembling it. It was VERY dangerous to have it on the road and it shimmied and shook very hard. The dealer did fix it and he tightened everything up on it. But it could have cost me everything if it would have come apart on the road.
Now, back to my backrests. If I take them back to my Hobie dealer what will he do to them? Get a can of flat black spray paint and make them look worse? I would really like what I paid for: a fully assembled Hobie Wave, (assembled correctly using lock-tite), and 2 backrests that don't look used, scratched and are only about half painted.
How come Hobie doesn't have an email address or phone number or some way of getting ahold of them? I really don't think Hobie would approve of the backrests I received, or approve of the way my Wave or trailer was assembled.
Now I have a Wave I cannot trust until I take every screw off of and lock-tite them like they were suppose to, and I have 2 brand new backrests that look like they've been used for 10 years.
I feel VERY ripped off by Hobie! VERY ripped off especially when there is no way for me to contact them.
If You purchase a Hobie cat please check out your dealer first and check them out good. Someone could easily get killed out there when people assemble things the wrong way!!!

I do not know what to tell you about the back rest other than speak with your dealer. Hobie factory will see your post on this forum. there are only on the boat so adding lock tight should be an easy job. Do you have any pictures of the backrest? Hobie packs all back rest together in bubble wrap, I've never has a problem with a set.

Also take a look at the shackle holding all the wires together,, it tends to work its self loose.

_________________
Brad Stephens
[email protected]
(866) 786-5266 <--- Advice HOTline
http://www.sunjammers.com
www.facebook.com/sunjammers

My dealer is my main problem. Like I said, I don't want him getting a can of flat black spray paint and making them look even worse.
The screws should have had lock tight put on when he assembled it. That's a simple safety issue and would be assembling according to Hobie's instructions. Do all Hobie dealers ignore Hobie's instructions when assembling a product?
I know parts will work themselves loose, that's why I checked them. I DID expect to see some lock tight, but there was none at all. And after checking other screws I found no evidence of any lock tight being used at all. It's the total lack of effort to properly assemble it that makes me upset and makes me not trust anything he puts together.
I can take some pics of the backrests and I'll try to post them here. They took 3 months to get here after I ordered them. They were NOT wrapped in any bubble wrap at all, just some thick wrapping paper and tape. I can't believe Hobie didn't even look at them, they are only half painted with very deep scratches. I know Hobie doesn't make the backrest themselves, they farm them out to another company, but I would still think someone would check them for quality and to see if they were actually finished or not before shipping them 4,000 miles.
Thank You for the reminder about the shackle. I'll make sure that stays tight too.
I do love the boat! I just don't like the workmanship of the backrests, (unfinished and scratched), and the workmanship of the assembly.
I wouldn't want a mast hitting me in the head so a dealer could save $3 on a tube of lock tight, would You???

not sure if this is salt in a wound or not:
Loctite is included with the parts bag from Hobie.....

_________________
Brad Stephens
[email protected]
(866) 786-5266 <--- Advice HOTline
http://www.sunjammers.com
www.facebook.com/sunjammers

I don't want to call my dealer names.......but that figures.
I had to go back the next day after picking up my backrests so I could pick up the quick release pins I ordered at the same time that came in at the same time, nobody saw those either, (just like the lock tight I imagine). And here I bought a Hobie to save on gas. I've wasted more gas going to my dealer for screw ups than I've saved sailing my Hobie......so far. Maybe someday I'll get everything I ordered and have it assembled right.
I knew I should have assembled it myself!
Thanks Brad! Wish I had You for a dealer!!

Wow, sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience. Attention to detail is very important when assembling a rig like this. And I cannot believe they set up the trailer so poorly. No excuse for that.

As for the backrests, I had a similar experience when I purchased mine. The dealer had them sitting outside, still taped together, minimal packaging. They said that was how they got them. They were quite scuffed up. So they let me have them for 1/2 price. I figured eventually I could get them powder coated or something. I would talk to the dealer about it. To pay full price for a damaged/defective product is just not right.

I picked up my Wave completely unassembled. It was just easier to transport that way. I never saw anything in the assembly manual about loctite, nor was any included in the small parts box. I could have missed that. I do however, check everything at least a couple times a season. The most critical to check are the bow straps, and the shackle. Most every other major hardware screw was (ie gudgeons, chainplates, etc) appear to have been loctit-ed at the factory. I have tried to check/remove them, and cannot without alot of effort.

_________________
Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

I bought my Wave unassembled, still in the boxes. It had the little tube of blue Loc-tite in the baggie. I know because I didn't use it all, and it's still in the back of my car, waiting for some other job.

The backrest issue is really puzzling. Hobie has such high quality standards; it's hard to imagine something like that getting through their system. Are you sure the dealer didn't snag some from Ebay and re-sell them to you as new?

The good news is that there's not much else that can go wrong with the boat (knock on wood!), so keep an eye on the screws and shackles, and enjoy that Hawaii sun!

_________________
What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

Yea, sounds like your dealer is either A) cutting corners or B) their employee who assembled the boat is some kid who does not give a rip about doing a good job.

Either way, call the dealer and raise hell - in a polite way. If they dont do you right, call Hobie and the BBB.

You will get it worked out soon. No worries.

I too, am sorry about your bad experience with this boat. BUT, I believe there is a bright side: A few lessons to have learned.

The fact that you had a few nuts loose drives home the fact you should do a 'flight check' before you take your boat out (every time) to make sure everything is ship shape. Check all the pins, etc.......better you learn it this way than the way alot of us have : by having the mast fall because of a missing ringding or frayed sidestay;, or having rudder failure due to a lost bolt, the list goes on.....

Also, this guy who first took me out on a 16 said that I'll never understand these boats until I have taken one completely apart and put it back together a number of times. I have done it a million times by now and can much more easily diagnose issues on the water and feel alot more comfortable knowing what I know.

So, in summary, if the people you bought your boat from didn't live up to your expectations, call someone else, but realize that this guy may have indirectly saved your life and the life of your child!! (dramatic enough???) No, seriously, check everything over every time.

we encourage people to build there own boats, like Chris said you will know the boat much better and will feel more comfortable doing repairs, then again this might be because we are lazy too!

_________________
Brad Stephens
[email protected]
(866) 786-5266 <--- Advice HOTline
http://www.sunjammers.com
www.facebook.com/sunjammers

Amen!

I've got this shackle on the mainsheet that needs to be checked EVERY time I get the boat wet.

Not the way we want a customer to start off. This is unfortunate for sure. Any issues should be addressed by your dealer first.

Wave back rests are bubble wrapped and padded when shipped from here.

Wave backrests are anodized aluminum.

Loctite is not required on all screw in fittings. Screws such as gudgeon screws have a thread locker built in to the screw.

Email contact with Hobie Cat... use the "Contact Us" link under the Company heading. We route any issues / comments to the appropriate people here. Your primary contact is your dealer though.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

TWO very excellent pieces of advice. I had the misfortune (and good luck just before I launched) to witness my mainsheet shackle disassemble itself before my eyes onto the crossbar, miraculously without any parts falling into the water. I wouldn’t want to experience the same event with the upper shackle holding the wirestays together.

As much as I am impressed with the design of the Wave I feel the shackles in these two areas are a weak link and deserve a more secure fitting (something a little more confidence building than LocTite).


Like you, I was tempted by the simplicity of quick release pins until my dealer talked me out of them. He recounted his twenty years of repairing masts due to finger-happy curious bystanders on the beach unintentionally punching off sidestays with predictable results.

Having said that, I am absolutley thrilled with my Wave and would not currently trade it for anything else. And as sunjammers and xanderwess both have stated, getting intimate with the assembly of your ship makes sailing an even more rewarding experience.

If you don't intend to drop your mast often, you should consider replacing the factory-supplied shackles with the type (I don't know the brand) which has a hole in the bolt's "handle". You can then put a small zip-tie through the hole and around the shackle arm, which will prevent the bolt from moving. When you do need to disconnect it, you just cut the zip-tie. (They're cheap, and a bag of them can be kept in your stash of supplies easily.) You could do the same for all pins if you're worried about ring-dings coming out.

_________________
What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

Interesting thread, this.

Having a Classic WAVE... I asseble/disassemble every time I sail (at least once a week). Every few times there's usually something loose or frayed that needs attention. My stays are always tuned to the right amount of tension, as a result, though, and when I am in heavy winds and high seas (like yesterday) it's a comfort to know that everything is tight and secure.

I just get into that cherry sweet windy spot and rip and fly!!!!!

I didn't stop and think about you guys that have your boats assembled and always ready to go. Things can go to hell in a hurry if one doesn't stay on top of it.

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story