Dave's Leaky Hobie

Hey there NCKA friends,

I know I've not posted in a while, I seem to be posting more often in the LCKA Facebook group, but I wanted to post about my LEAKY hobie sport experience here mostly to let folks know what I've gone through       (stress cracks in the hull near the mirage drive)

Lately I've been noticing more and more water in my little hobie when I come in -- about a quart or so throughout the summer.  On Saturday of Labor Day weekend, as I was coming in through some swells and wind up at Trinidad in Northern, CA, it felt like the little hobie was not performing right, sluggish and a little more tendency to roll in waves where it shouldn't.  I made a push to get behind  the shelter of "the head rock", pulled the hatch, and noticed quite a bit of water in the hold, so I beat a hasty retreat to the launch and upon bailing it out discovered there were a little over two quarts, more than half a gallon of water in the hull.

NOT GOOD!! 

When I got to our house in Arcata I rinsed everything off and dried the exterior of the hull, put it up on some chairs and poured in about 3 gallons of water to look for leaks, and I found the leak quickly! --



 There were some cracks at the rear of the housing where the hobie mirage drive slides through the hull, right at a place that takes a lot of load when pedaling.



I called Greg at Xtremeline in LA (sold me the boat, I actually live in LA) and he said yes, cracks near the mirage drive housing have been a design problem. He's had two boats in his store with that problem and it's VERY difficult to fix. Even though my boat is out of warranty he would check with Hobie to see if they would do some sort of warranty on it.  Meanwhile, at my request, he recommended a temporary fix that might get me through Labor Day weekend using a 3M adhesive.





I tried that and tested the kayak in Stone Lagoon the next day.  The adhesive held as long as I "paddled" but when I put the pedals in and used them, it started leaking again .. so much so that the boat was not really usable for any length of time.    (Sidebar -- so I rented a kayak for the last day, took my wife out on Stone Lagoon in a tandem  .)

When I got back to LA I found out from Greg that my since my boat is way out of warranty (2 year warranty, I've had the boat since 2010) a Hobie Sport replacement hull would cost $818. I was interested in trying for an "upgrade" offer to get an Outback but that turned out to be beyond my current means.  He had a new outback in his store he was willing to move at $2K, a good price but still out of reach for me.   

So -- I've ordered the replacement hull only -- which turns out will be a "new" 2014 hull because my seat will not fit in the 2015 model.  I should get it next week. 

Meanwhile, and at Greg's suggestion, I've lined up to have "Wes" -- someone he recommended here in LA -- to attempt a weld fix on the old hull.  Most tell me that is just prolonging the problem that this is a stress design issue.  So we will have to significantly beef up the plastic in the stressed area.  I've already stripped out my 3M "goop" solution and have removed my old FF from the old hull, to go into the new hull.  I'm scheduled to see "Wes" this next week.

Oh -- one more thing -- I set up a savings account.  I'm gonna buy an outback but just not right now. 

So there you have it -- I've ordered a new (2014) Hobie Sport replacement hull.  I should get it next week.  I've also got "Wes" who's going to try to help weld the old hull -- probably for a paddle only 2nd boat.

And thus go my trials!  Anyone else have hull cracks around their drives???  Hobie owners, keep an eye out for this, especially on older models.  I understand they have "beefed up" the hulls in this stress area now.

And -- I promise to make more NCKA posts… but highly recommend LCKA FB group for anyone who fishes that area often, and I seem to fish more up there than I do in SoCal.  …. something else I should remedy, eh?   

Dave The Synth Guy 

A cracked hull has got to be a major bummer. Good luck with the new hull...

Hope the patch holds up for you, Dave. Thanks for showing your remedy.

Not everyone is on Facebook.

She was a great little boat.  Here's a picture from June in Shelter Cove - picture by Loleta Eric. 

 -- gonna miss this boat -- but gonna make some new adventures in the replacement.

Looking forward to seeing you on your new ride, Dave.   

Hmm… "stress cracks in my kayak".  I think I have a new euphemism.   

I would suggest one more try, but this time use West Systems Epoxy.  It worked great for me.  I decided to try this product after reading Amazon reviews, as well watching their promo video where they chainsaw a kayak in two, glue it back together and drop it from bridges to prove the glue holds.  Humorous, and amazing.  Bought at a local boat store- they said this stuff has changed boat repair.  It runs about $40.  Steps are to heat the area with a torch (help define the crack), drill small holes at each end of the crack (prevents further run of the crack), widen the crack a bit with razor so the glue can flow to both sides, heat again before applying to form a chemical bonding surface.  Next day you are ready for the water.  I could not reach both sides of my crack which is best for optimal repair- still working great after 8 months.  I also I applied some to the forward, and glued a strip of sheet metal to the aft where I it was easy to see wear occurring.