Hobie Outback Leak

I bought a new Outback in 2007, and shortly after an Outfitter for when the wife wants to tag along. She is afraid of the water but feels very comfortable in the Outfitter because of its stability. The mirage drive and rudder eliminate the usual tandem conflicts and make for an enjoyable day.

I do a lot of fishing and photography in my Outback, and have accumulated a lot of accessories, including the live well and depth finder / fish locator, and most recently a GoPro HD video camera mounted to the bow. The inside has always been dry as a bone and I have had high confidence when placing my DSLR through the hatch by the seat.

I took it out just above Salmon Falls Bridge (divides the American River from Folsom Lake) with some buddies who wanted to paddle upstream. One of them was going to try and paddle into the first set of rapids and I wanted to memorialize it on film.

About 100 yards from launch I opened the hatch to get my DSLR out and there was 1/2" to 3/4" of water inside. I had the camera in a dry bag so no harm done but the water concerned me. I figured I had left the drain open and peddled on. A few miles upriver a buddy checked the drain plug and it was in place. I took the pictures and we returned to our launch point. The last 1/4 mile the Outback was actually starting to list if I leaned. When I landed one of my buddies tried to pull me further onto the ramp, but couldn't because there was so much water in the hull. We opened the rear hatch and opened the drain valve and emptied a good 5-10 gallons of water back into the river.
When I got home, before I took it off my kayak trailer I put some water into the hull and almost immediately saw water running out from where the peddles install. I took the peddles out and could see a 3/4" crack on the vertical surface in the peddle well closest to the seat. The peddle frame sits just below it. It is not a spot exposed either to damage from outside or inside, probably one of the most sheltered spots on the boat. I would have bet one of the strongest but apparently not.

I am posting here hoping to find a remedy from Hobie. I bought my Hobbies largely based on their reputation for customer service and superior product. I have my fingers crossed and am hoping to see a reply from a Hobie rep here.

I have several domains, one is kayak related (Mystic Kayak where these pictures are hosted) and documents trips my buddies and I take to Northern California lakes.. You can see both the crack and the serial number in the attached pictures. I had to adjust the color hue to make the serial number visible.

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Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.

Have you asked your dealer to submit a warranty claim to Hobie, to see what they offer?

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

I called them and got the 16-20 year old worker of the day. They are high volume and there tends not to be anyone with any real authority there when I call. I think most of their business is Internet. He was a nice person, just uninformed and mildly discouraging.

I don't expect these things to have an endless lifespan, and if I had hit a rock or had it fall off my truck, or worn through it dragging it on rocks or something else I would just eat it and buy a replacement. But it is well cared for and broken in a spot not possible to wear. It is probably caused by the torsion of the peddles with not thick enough plastic in the one spot.

Figured I would give this a shot. I had been eyeing the new Mirage Pro Angler when this cropped up. I am just leary of paying $2400+ for something with the same peddle setup if it is going to go south on me in 4-5 years of infrequent use and not be covered. I have two other kayaks, but they are both sea/touring and not conducive to fishing or carrying an expensive camera. I also could use most of my accessories on the Angler and give my Outback to my sister.

Really hoping for some positive news from Hobie.

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Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.

I suspect your dealer and/or Hobie will take care of you. In the meantime, you can likely fix that crack with some Goop. The only question will be if the area is inherently weak and will continue to get worse. It might, and it might not. Either way, you're not necessarily doomed at this point.

In the event that hobie doesn't come through for you the plastic is extremely repairable. They sell a plastic welding kit that comes with various colors to match most hulls. I haven't actually done it but it looks very straightforward.

I did get an email from Hobie after posting this suggesting I go through the dealer. Sent the dealer an email with pictures but did not receive a follow up or call. After two weeks I sent an email a week to Hobie and placed two calls to the dealer. The "guy" that handled claims was never there per the person who answered.

I finally got hold of the dealer's "guy" who said he had not been able to see my pictures, though they were there as attachments. No explanation for not trying to contact me to follow up. I directed him to a site where they were posted and he said he would place the claim. I blind copied the Hobie rep on my original email. Dealer said it would take about a week, but it has been a week and I have not heard anything yet. Still have my fingers crossed, and believe my confidence in Hobie is not misplaced.

Was off on vacation last week and it would have been great to have the use of the Outback. Can't fish from my other kayaks and I have a new camera I want to try out.

Had something called a widow maker in February. 5% survival rate and I got lucky. Even made the local newspaper (must have been a slow news day.) Doc said the peddles would be a good cardio workout and help shed a few pounds. For some reason, even after several miles in my paddle yaks I rarely get the pulse above 85, on the trip where I sprung the leak I was at 115 with the peddles which is really good with all the heart meds. Was hoping to be able to rotate paddling and peddling trips. Any day above ground is a good one. Eat your veggies, cut out the cholesterol, and stay on the water. The Outback has done wonders for stress too, something about floating out in nature that nothing else touches.

My buddies drove to Tomales Bay today and I stayed home to do yard remodeling.

LazyLefty - I saw one of the plastic welders the other day, but the leak is in a spot where I would have to take the peddles out and work at damaging it. This tells me that there must be a weak or high stress point and it would probably continue to crack. I really need to rely on having the hull dry inside to avoid equipment issues. Don't think I could sell it in good conscience. So I really have my fingers crossed.

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Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.

While you wait, force some GOOP into the crack. Let set for 24 hours, and then go enjoy it.