My First Crack

Hey guys I have a 2012 Hobie TI that I bought new from Austin Kayak in May 2013. So its now about a month out of warranty. A few weeks ago I noticed I was taking on a bit of water and decided to do a thorough leak inspection. I found a horseshoe shaped crack where the front of the mirage drive touches the hull. Link here https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0N5Coo77n_gS0ZHMm5ub0RVMVU/view?usp=sharing

I contacted Austin Kayak and they replied saying the TI is out of warranty and a link to where I can buy a KC welder pro on their site. It's like $70 and the idea is to melt all the plastic back together again. I thought first I'd check here and see if anyone else has had a similar crack and how the repair went. Thanks!

_________________
"Not everyone who wanders is lost." - Tolkien

I would have thought your dealer would have been more helpful, given that this kind of leak is the most common kind occuring in any Miragedrive kayaks, did they offer to make the repair themselves (even at a cost)?

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Plastic welding will work, most of the time. It does take some expertise so I'd advise doing a little practice first. My first Island was an AI and shipped to me with a small crack/split that was allowing water to enter the hull. It was in a structural location. Rather than go to the trouble of replacing the hull, I repaired it with the heat iron and plastic recommended by your dealer. To date the repair has held and not a drop of water has entered in the ensuing 3 years I have owned it.

Because of the location and the fact that the drive pressures that area, I'd most likely heat weld the crack and then go inside the hull and fill that area with a paste epoxy, or even common GOOP. Just something to provide a little additional support to keep the matter from raising its head in the future.

Not to turn this thread into something it's not. But I had the worst possible customer service experience at Austin City Kayak last week, and I was trying to BUY something; nothing else. The customer service provided was beyond terrible, and luckily I decided to wait a few months to get a new TI from a local dealer vs. dealing with an internet dealer for warranty help. When I hear things like this I am glad I made the decision to buy locally...

No but they did send me a link to a how to video on youtube. You would think though the dealer would send you a promo code or something. In any case though im not the type to stress about this kind of stuff. I just want to get it back on the water ASAP


Yeah they are awesome for accessories, really fast shipping all that. On big orders though like a TI, in retrospect I should have found a small local dealer. It started off kind of odd too because I bought a new TI in May of 2013 but was shipped a 2012. I was a touch naive at that time and didn't know these were referred to by the year like a boat or a car. I thought of it more as a canoe/kayak and never in light of the year model. On their end I would imagine they process alot of orders and I'm sure it was an honest mistake. I have enjoyed the heck out of the TI and it's definitely the smartest decision I've ever made when it comes to buying boats. haha.



Thanks for the info Tom!

_________________
"Not everyone who wanders is lost." - Tolkien

My local dealer in San Antonio is Austin Canoe (not City) and Kayak, and I have had nothing other than exceptional service from them. It's a shame their online service did not match.

_________________
2012 Hobie Kona
2014 Hobie Tandem Island

Has something changed with Hobie's warranty policy?
It used to be that with a drivewell crack the hull would be replaced on a pro rata basis after the warranty had expired. A crack that appears just outside the warranty should not mean you are left on your own. Drive well cracks should not be occurring and Hobie do not recommend repairs in that area.
If it was me I'd be insisting on a hull replacement. You can file a warranty claim through any Hobie dealer. You may have to pay a pro rata amount but being the original owner it shouldn't be too much.
BTW- that doesn't look to be the same type of drive well crack that was common a few years back.

Agreed. Puncture wound. It's hard to tell with that shot though.

_________________
The Wind Is Your Friend...

No change here.

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

Oh yeah its definitely a puncture from the Mirage drive - exact same shape and size. All I can figure is on my last trip my friend in the back was pushing it too hard or something.

Matt what are your thoughts on this? I want to keep my hull - we've shared times haha. Any insights on repairs to this area or is it pretty straight forward?

_________________
"Not everyone who wanders is lost." - Tolkien

We generally do not recommend repairs below water line due to obvious concerns for the repair not holding.

I would ask the dealer to file a claim to see what our warranty guys think.

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

If the warranty claim doesn't work, try a product called g-flex by west systems. I've used this product on my adventure when my cam towers broke and got cracks in my drive well. Follow the directions and it worked great. I also used some fiberglass cloth just for good measure. There's a video on the web of a guy cutting a kayak in half then gluing it back together with this stuff. It works!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

_________________
2015-Tandem Island

The actual date of manufacture stamped on the hull (IE model year, etc) I don't think is the warranty date. I don't think there were any changes between 2012 and 2013 anyway. I believe the warranty is from the date of sale from the dealer. Unfortunately If you had found the crack in April it would have been covered.
Hobie is really fair about this stuff, you need to have the dealer file the claim.
Bob

Hey I wanted to provide an update on this. Hobie recommended replacing the hull. It was a few months out of warranty so I had to pay out of pocket but it was a really good deal. Also, Austin Kayak did a great job facilitating the whole process and getting me a replacement hull. I had mentioned before in this thread that in the future I would probably just get accessories from ACK and major purchases from a local dealer. I can't really say the same now. Once it was determined that a replacement hull was an option, everything went fast and smooth. I would definitely order a kayak from them again.

_________________
"Not everyone who wanders is lost." - Tolkien

I was going to say that Austin Kayak (ACK) has fantastic customer service. Over the years they have bent over backwards to make everything smooth and correct. Any claims with Hobie are filed immediately.

_________________
Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014