Hobie Cat Forums

I couldn't wait to get my new seat plugs, so i stopped by the local "H" dealership yesterday, (after an excellent three hour sailng trip). We had to get a seat out of a new boat so the guy behind the counter could figure out what I was talking about. Once we got that squared away, he asks me "how many will you be needing"? hmm, i said "how would you like to take a guess"? It was just kinda funny...

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'09 Adventure Island

Anyone have any tips on how to put the split ring in when using the comfort seat and the normal seat pad? The thickness of the 2 pads makes it very difficult to access the hole.

See Stringy's post on previous page of this topic.

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I think this may be answered by the photos on previous page but I got the new pegs today and have installed to a 'normal' seat. The split rings don;t sit down - they are always up until I force them down and hold them down under the velcro. I thought maybe I had the washers on the wrong side (the split ring side) but this seems to be the way Stringy has them.

Maybe the holes are too tight?

Does anyone have the same problem?

I think the new pegs are designed for one pad, not two. They have to be kept as short as possible so they don't protrude, so it's a tight fit with double pads. I use the i-comfort only (rather than 2 pads) and find it works great. It might be worth trying that way first.

Yes, the rings are supposed to be laid down and secured under the Velcro.

Brisailor,
I agree with Roadrunner. The new pegs seem to be designed to fit one pad rather than two. Fitting them to one pad was easy, once the holes were enlarged.
The two pad thickness makes it more difficult but it can be done with someone assisting by compressing the washer while you thread the split ring through. I have fitted two sets of pegs on two seats, through two thicknesses, this way. The rings don't sit flat naturally but are folded down toward the outside of the seat and the velcro holds them down. Once the velcro is done up you can't feel them.

Yep I got them through two and just fold them flat with the velcro

had them for yesterday's sail and they are great. The new pegs and the tip on this forum to partly tape off the scupper holes so that the boat self bails have seating comfort through the roof!

I installed the new pegs on both mine & my wife's AI's. I used a drill to drill out the old holes to make the new pegs fit. It worked fine. It sure is nice to be able to remove or install the seats whenever you want without worrying about them coming out while sailing.

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Jerry D.
St. Johns, Florida
2010 TI
2008 AI

"Will they fit the OLDER 2009 models?" ??

What about us 2007 guys?

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Fair Skies, Max.

The new pegs fit all boats that have plugs. That includes everything except the very old riveted seats (but they don't have a problem coming out anyway). Just remember you have to enlarge the mounting holes on any seat that you're updating.

If your seat is staying put, there is no need to upgrade. In most cases, the old plugs work fine if properly pressed (or tapped) in, but the new plugs provide a great alternative for anyone with problems.

Hi folks,

I have bought the new expandable seat plugs. However, when I tighten them once the seat is in place they eventually pop out of the holes. Please see my YouTube offering at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZxArrSlVpw (which should refer to my Hobie Sport not my Hobie Bravo!).

Grateful if anyone could advise if you have encountered a similar problem, or whether there's something that I am not doing right (more than likely!)

I purchased my Hobie in August 2009.

With thanks,

Frank

Hey Frank,

Yeah, my TI seats pretty much does the same thing. I even confirmed with the local vendor that I am inserting/turning the device properly. Fortunately, my 242 pounds of weight keep the plugs in pretty solid. Hobie has worked on the issue in the past, but I would prefer a more 'solid' solution.

Pete.

They can be a little cranky. Sometimes when you tighten them they don't engage. Try a little sand paper in the inside of the holes to rough up the surface. Hope that will do the job for you.

The '12 models have a positive lock up system that works well. Unfortunately it is not a retrofit item.

@franktompson - I have the same problem with mine even after trying every tip listed on this forum. I suspect that some of us received boats with a peg hole problem ... I think that if everyone's seat pegs worked as ours do there would be mass complaining going on which isn't the case at all.

@Roadrunner - How much larger is the threaded portion of the new "positive lock up system" than the expandable pegs?

I have already read that they are not a retrofit item and that cutting threads in the seat peg hole isn't recommended. But is the diameter of the new peg as such that one could grind the threads off and just glue them into the seat peg holes?

The seat peg holes are the same size. The inserts are installed at the factory with a custom thread cutting tool. Without the tool, one would risk splitting the plastic and causing a leak.

You should be able to trim the threads and glue the receiver in with one of the special PE compatible epoxies I would recommend 3M Scotchweld DP 8010 or Loctite 3030, available at many industrial supplies. These are a bit more difficult to use and more expensive than most hardware store epoxies, but they do work well. I don't think the pretenders such as G Flex would be strong enough, but you could try.