HOBIE PA - Drive well crack - NEED ADVICE ON REPAIR

Hello everyone, so my trusted PA has a drive well crack ive been battling. its in the little pocket on the stern side of the drive well where the mirage drive rests. I bought this boat in 2010 so shes seen some years but I love her. I tried having here professionally repaired but im not sure the guy knew what he was doing and it failed after a month or two. I ve tried marine gooping it from the inside but its in a really weird spot. does anyone have any advice other than send her down the road to someone more skilled than me to love her and get a new one. Ive called hobie several times and seems like every time i get a different answer. From weld her on the outside and goop inside, to try Dupont 810? (anyone have experience with this 810)? looking for recommendations, or suggested repair shops, or possibly and good repair method. I live up in Tahoe so kind of far from everything. Any advice is greatly appreciated thx and tight lines - JUDE 

JB Weld Water Weld.  But I never use it for lengthy crack, just for precaution and scratches (it held up good so far), so you may have to check often. 

thx!! small cracks or holes not big just in weird spot

I think welding it with plastic is best. You will need a plastic welder, which is basically just a big soldering iron, and scrap plastic or rods to work with. It requires skill so you will want to practice a bunch on scrap plastic and test the strength of your welds. A heat gun helps as well, since you really want both surfaces to be hot when they touch. You should embed stainless mesh in the plastic to prevent the crack from opening again.

Repairing leaks below the waterline is not easy. Hobie will not attempt it anymore according to what they told me.

I've had 2 Hobie plastic welding repairs at CCK Oakland. Very happy with the outcome. Try calling them.

thx!! small cracks or holes not big just in weird spot

You probably need to observe whether the water is "gushing" in or just dripping.   You can do an air pressure test after you repair it and see if the leak persists.

thx!! small cracks or holes not big just in weird spot

You probably need to observe whether the water is "gushing" in or just dripping.   You can do an air pressure test after you repair it and see if the leak persists.

I wouldnt say its gushing.... more like a running drip. Hobie guy suggested i rape the well and fill it... then blow air in it


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I've had 2 Hobie plastic welding repairs at CCK Oakland. Very happy with the outcome. Try calling them.

Thx will do


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I think welding it with plastic is best. You will need a plastic welder, which is basically just a big soldering iron, and scrap plastic or rods to work with. It requires skill so you will want to practice a bunch on scrap plastic and test the strength of your welds. A heat gun helps as well, since you really want both surfaces to be hot when they touch. You should embed stainless mesh in the plastic to prevent the crack from opening again.

Repairing leaks below the waterline is not easy. Hobie will not attempt it anymore according to what they told me.

Yea thx ive tried not easy ... def below water line


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tried getting a factory replacement hull from hobie?  doesn't hurt to axe

I had the same issue on my 2017 AI and not even a year old! Ended up sanding and welding it with some plastic from a Folgers coffee container. So far so good after about 1.5 years of regular use.

Here is a video from Key West Kayak Fishing with the approach I used to fix mine -

I should note that I layered on quite a bit of plastic from the get go and then hand filed/sanded everything down. It took awhile after some sanding to get the mirage drive to fit.

tried getting a factory replacement hull from hobie?  doesn't hurt to axe
Ive talked to them doesnt seem like they back up their product like that even though its a design flaw


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thx!! small cracks or holes not big just in weird spot

You probably need to observe whether the water is "gushing" in or just dripping.   You can do an air pressure test after you repair it and see if the leak persists.

I wouldnt say its gushing.... more like a running drip. Hobie guy suggested i rape the well and fill it... then blow air in it


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Yes, that's how you check it with air pressure.  Use a compressor and make sure it's air tight.  Be sure to sit on it, put load and cart etc.  Some cracks need to have some load before it leaks.