2015 outback changes durring production

Thanks for checking in on this thread Matt and thank you Dogdad for confirming that I'm not the only one with this problem.

I have a brand new Hobie Heavy Duty cart (ordered it on Monday, October 20th from Austin Canoe and Kayak, received it the Thursday before I took it out) and it doesn't quite fit...no where near the ease it fits into the scupper holes on the videos I've seen online or in my 2005 Sport. When I take a good look at the scupper holes, the black plastic inserts (reinforcements?) that look screwed/molded in appear to be slightly crooked. I had to fight and fight to get the cart to go in, which made for quite a sight at the boat ramp this past weekend. I absolutely love how this new Outback moves through the water and how comfortable the Vantage seating is, but I am dreading a repeat of that fight.

Since the cart works on the 2005 Sport without a problem and is a brand new cart, I've got to say I think it's the kayak. Is there anything that can be done to straighten the inserts or some other way to remedy this? I love the kayak but don't want to fight it whenever I want to move it.

-Dan

Talked to a second friend,,,has the same issue with his cart and 2015 Outback...ummmm

If that is in fact true that older carts don't fit correctly in the 2015 Outback, then that should be considered a quality control issue by Hobie. Since I am seriously thinking of selling my 2011 Outback and buying a 2015 Outback, I will bring my old Hobie Plug In Heavy Duty Cart into the dealership and test fit it into the new Outback,. If I find that it doesn't fit correctly then I would insist that I get a replacement new cart, that does fit correctly at "no charge" as a condition for the purchase. The expense for a purchase of a new cart should not be born by the consumer if in fact the hull of the new Outback was modified by Hobie without the consumers knowledge! Just my two cents.

Hi Lameduck, I wish I had bought mine from a dealer where I could have tested my old cart before I bought it. I thought it was a cart issue at first, which is why I went ahead and bought a brand new Heavy Duty Hobie cart (figuring perhaps it was because my older cart was a non-Hobie one, maybe that was the problem). Instead, now I have two carts and neither fit, plus the Hobie cart wasn't cheap! I do like the cart-keeper feature and I think it's a nice cart and if it had fit, I would have been ok with the purchase (that way my mom could use the older cart on the 2005 Sport she 'inherited' and I would have a brand new Heavy Duty cart to go with my brand new Outback). Now, I'm getting frustrated that it appears to be a bit of a quality control/manufacturing issue with the kayak itself and I'm not sure what my options are.

-Dan

Contact your dealer for warranty support on the cart.

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

It is not the cart, it is the boat. I too have the same issue with my '15 outback. I have a heavy duty cart that I bought when I bought my PA and I also bought a new beach cart when I got the Outback. Both carts fit with ease on the PA but on the outback, it takes a little work getting it in and out, not a struggle, but it does not fall out when you lift the kayak up and I don't need to put the pin in the cart to keep it in place when I load or unload from the truck bed or rack. But launching, this is an issue with the beach cart because it is impossible to remove the cart when submerged unless you pull the wheels off or lay the kayak on it's side prior to putting it in the water, the HD cart I can just reach under and pull it out.

_________________
2013 PA 14
2015 Outback

As Matt suggested, I contacted the dealer where I bought both the kayak and the cart, told them what the issue was and directed them to this thread. The dealer, Austin Canoe and Kayak (ACK) replied very quickly and are going to send me a replacement cart that they will pre-test fit on a 2015 Outback to make sure it fits before they send it out, along with a return label for the current cart. So, if the cart they send fits their 2015 Outback but not mine, then the issue is with my kayak. If it fits my kayak, then it must have been the cart. Either way, I'll be sure to update everyone here how it goes. I suspect the issue is the kayak, but I'll be just as happy if ACK can find a Hobie Heavy Duty cart that manages to fit my kayak. At the end of the day, I love my new Outback and as soon as this cart situation is remedied, I'll be back out there on the water every free minute I can find!

-Dan

The carts are metal and can bent very easily by hand to fit accordingly if just off by a few millimeters. No new replacement cart should be needed unless it's off by more than an inch and obviously bent/damaged.