2005 ish... Quest 13

going to be looking at used Quest 13. Seller says it's 10 years old. So, 2004 or 2005 I presume. I've paddled a newer quest, and really liked it. It was actually my favorite of all that I tested.

My questions are:

How much different will the older model be than the newer? To be more specific, has the hull design changed much? At all? Will the stability, handling or speed be much different?

Also, what should I look for when looking at an older used Kayak? Signs of abnormal wear, how to identify weak spots or damage, etc...

Thanks in advance for helping out a new guy!

The Quest is a great kayak. Kind of flies under the radar at Hobie because of the Mirage Drive kayaks.

I've had mine since 2005 and it's still catching fish. You might want to check this out.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

Thanks! I found they video a while back. Looks like they hold up pretty well.

Do you you have any suggestions of what I should look for, for potential trouble? How to identify weak spots or signs of improper storage etc??


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The Quest is pretty basic, you should be able to see any cracks in the hull or deck area. If you watched the video, you saw the crack near the center hatch. Look for cracks or looseness at the bow and stern handle clevises(where the two handles attach to the kayak). One place that is a little tougher to check are the scuppers. Look below deck, a mirror and flashlight helps, at the scuppers(the holes that go through the kayak). If a scupper cart has been used incorrectly, the thin walls of the scupper can be damaged and cause leakage. If there is water inside the hull or looks like there has been, ask how the water got in there. The only two reasons I can think of for water being in the hull is that the boat is leaking, or someone is checking to see where the leak is.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog

Thanks. Really appreciate your help. I had the seller send some pics. From inside the hull, one of the scuppers looks mis-shaped and on the bottom, hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like there are flat spots between the scupper holes. Should I be concerned? Reason for all the questions is that I'm trying to decide if it's worth a 4 hour drive one way to go look at. He's asking $500


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I have a 2006 Quest that has seen oyster rash many times over the years (purchased used in 2008) and still has no leaks (and no maintenance other than a freshwater wash-down). I would flip it over to check out any issues, but then I would be compelled to do something about it. It has been an excellent kayak for the paddling and fishing capability. When something does finally go wrong I will purchase another one to replace it.

To verify the year you can check the serial number, on the back of the kayak will be a serial number scratched on it. You will have to look for it with good light as they can be hard to see sometimes. The break down can be found on the forum, but it should be something like the following:
Hobie Quest 13 - SN: CCMR1234C606 (Dune)
CCM = Hobie Cat Company
R = Quest
1234 = Serial Number
C = March month built
6 = 2006 year built
06 = Model year 2006

Best of Luck,

James

2015 AI
2006 Quest

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James

2006 Quest
2015 AI

Can you post that photo of the scuppers here?

If you know what you are looking for, scupper damage is pretty easy to spot. The walls of the scupper holes are very thin, when a scupper cart is inserted at an angle, it distorts and sometimes tears that thin plastic wall. You can compare the scuppers and see if there are one or two, mainly the scuppers behind the seat, that are different from the others. They should look like a thin tube, smooth from top to bottom.

Scuppers have been strengthened and scupper carts have been designed to minimize damage, but with kayaks from this time period, scupper damage was something that you really had to look out for.

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Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging - Blog