I've been reading about the hairline cracks that a few are having on their OutBacks, at the small indentation/s where the pedal drive support fits fore and aft. I've taken a good look at my own OutBack and while I have no cracks (yet) I think there could be an easy solution to the problem, or at least to prevent the problem from happening in the first place.
From what I suspect, when you lock the pedal drive mechanism in place, the fore and aft supports are pressed tightly into those small depressions in the hull, just as they should be. However, because of the empty space between those depressions and the bottom of the hull, any compression of the plastic there could conceivably result in a crack. I suppose it depends on how much compression takes place in that area. I had someone cinch my drive mechanism down while I help a thumb jammed inside the hull in that depression. I could feel the compression ever so slightly, but it is there.
This afternoon, I mixed up some Trondak U-40 RodBond (Kardol Marine Epoxy, also a gel, would be similar) and plopped a gob into that interior space between the depression and the bottom of the hull. My hope is that this will add support between the hull and the depression so that any compressive force that occurs when the drive unit is locked down will no longer flex or bend the plastic in the depression. So, no cracking. At least, that's my hope.
If my hull doesn't crack, that doesn't necessarily prove that I did anything to stop it - most OutBacks don't crack so maybe mine never would have to begin with. But you guys kick this around and give it some though. I have a pretty good idea that having something fairly solid in between the drive holder depression and the hull bottom will prevent cracks from forming there.
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