Buyer beware???

I was at a dealer yesterday looking at a used Getaway, trying to decide if perhaps a Getaway is the boat I need. Not necessarily that one, but the boat in general. This particular boat left me with a few questions:

1. The hulls appear to have been manufactured a year apart. One had a serial number that ended something like F607, the other G708. The boat was a consignment, so the dealer didn't know much about it, but said it was an '07 boat. It was a Hobie dealer, but he deals many brands and is not a Hobie sailor. Are there any good reasons a hull could have been replaced that shouldn't scare me away? I am thinking t-boned by a powerboat, falling off the trailer at highway speeds and getting hit by a semi, or perhaps surfing in on a huge wave and burying one hull tip in the sand.

2. The trailer had molded hull cradles, but they were shaped nothing like the hull. Consequently, it was the equivalent of sitting the hull on a flat board. With the keel shape, what kind of trailer support is normal? Molded to fit, double roller, or something else?

3. Where the comp tip was inserted in the mast base, it didn't appear seated. There is a 'step' in the comp tip that looks like it should seat flush against the aluminum base, but there was at least 1/2" to go. Should this be flush? Are these parts assembled together in a way that would prevent removal and reassembly?

It is still cold here in Indiana, so I didn't spend alot of time out in the wind looking at these details, but on the way home, the more I though about it, the more these things didn't seem quite right.

Any thoughts?

The most common trailer has dual rollers to reduce "roller imprint" on the bottom of the hulls. Early trailers had singles but it was found to be a mistake and dual upgrade kits were designed to "fix" the older trailers; like mine.
I have watched my local Hobie dealer install comptips on new boats and he treats it like heart surgery, he uses all of his craftsmanship to make them perfect in alignment of the kerf and how they generally fit.
No comment on the hull numbers because I am clueless.

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Frank, sailing '02 Getaway in Wichita KS. Lake Cheney
(Hobie 17 RIP, storm of '05)

The hull could have been replaced for any number of reasons including the ones you listed. I wouldn't be worried about the hull that got replaced, I'd be concerned with the hulls that are on the boat. As long as the hulls that are there are sound (no cracks or other damage) it shouldn't be a problem. The hulls are interchangable.

sm

1. Ask them to find out. A hull could have gotten scratched during shipment, had a defect, who knows??? Hobie is very good about warranty, and if the dealer filed a claim for whatever reason, they would've sent a new hull.

2. There are no cradles designed for the Get specifically, probably universal cradles. That set up would be fine, and probably distribute the load better than the two pinpoints of the double roller set up. The double roller set-up is excellent and as stated, standard issue.

3. The newer ('06 onward??) comptips were designed a little differently. Due to the different rates of flex between the alu and composite, Hobie recommends that we leave a little space there. Otherwise it cracks the filler putty off of the comptip. Not a structural issue, but it looks ugly.

Hope that helps.

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Thanks for the added insight. I think if I buy a used one I would prefer to buy it directly from the owner, or at least from a dealer that knows the particular boat.

I can't help but notice that the dealers are offering some nice deals on new ones though, and that is tempting, especially on carryovers.

Thanks again for the replies and wisdom.

I totally agree!

Good luck! They're great boats.

J

Can you get the roll imprint out? When I kayaked alot, the sun would imprint the boat when they were on the rack for too long. We would leave them laying out and they would take their shape again. I didn't know if a hull would do the same thing or was too thick. The boat that I just bought is on a single roller trailer and the back rollers have left a imprint.

Call Carnai.com and order the dual roller upgrade.
509-228-9510
The receptionist was great to work with.
The hulls will still deform a little but it is a wonderful and functional upgrade; seems like it was one $Boat Unit. If Hobie was a car company the upgrade would have been a recall and free.

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Frank, sailing '02 Getaway in Wichita KS. Lake Cheney
(Hobie 17 RIP, storm of '05)

Or follow the instructions in that thread.
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewt ... =hot+stick

I am still using 1 roller, and when the boat is parked, I loosen the tie down strap, and the hull is just resting on the roll. So far I haven't seen a dent, may be I am lucky.

And this raises a interesting nuance. In Kansas a boat on a trailer must be tied down to ground anchors at all times in anticipation of severe winds. It doesn't help to have a trailer tied down if the boat is not secured to the trailer so Kansas boats are pretty snug to their rollers.

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Frank, sailing '02 Getaway in Wichita KS. Lake Cheney
(Hobie 17 RIP, storm of '05)

Call your local Hobie dealer first. Sometimes they will have a few sets laying around from past projects and will want to off-load them. Whenever we build a Tiger or FX-1 trailer they just end up as extra parts. And...the Hobie price, last I checked, was less than the Carnai price. Hobie buys in huge bulk.

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