Second Hand Hobie PA-12 taking on water

Hello,

I recently purchased a second hand 2018 PA-12 and after my first trip on the water (4-5hrs) when I got back to the launch and opened the drain plug a good 2-3 gallons of water drained out.

I got back to the house and hooked up a shop vac exhaust then went to town with a spray bottle of soapy water. I only found (2) areas that bubbled. One at the top of the sail mast area (above the water line, so no issue) but the other was around the base of the mirage drive mount (picture attached). I was pretty disappointed so I just went inside and didn't look at it much more.


What options do I have for repair ?

a 2018 should still be under warranty. I would take it to a local dealer and have them inspect it for you.

That stinks! One of the risks of buying used. If you have the MSO it will be easier to get warranty help. I suspect you're going to need the full cooperation of the previous/original owner to get questions answered (i.e. how was it used, how was it stored, how was it transported, etc.).

Hate to hear this. Hope the boat gets warrantied. As far as a repair there's a lot of videos on YouTube with different methods. I don't have any advice as to what method works best. Access to the crack(s) would likely be the determining factor is how you repair it. Again hopefully that won't be necessary.

I welded the crack up and bubble tested it. No leaks now. Hopefully it will last. I'm not going to go the warranty route this time. When I removed the drive mount I could clearly see that the entire area had been previously repaired (not very well either). Even the threaded inserts looked as though they had been replaced.

Good to hear. Guessing by welded you used a plastic welder and rods? Something I need to practice just in case.

Yes, I had a hot air/plastic rod welder for welding HDPE sheets together a long time ago and found some yellow rods to match the color on amazon. Gouged the crack, drilled the ends, pre-heated and filled completely.