Replace Front Aka Tube/Xbar: Has Anybody Actually Done It?

Interesting because I helped unpack one at a dealer last year, so I could take a look at one in person, and I seem to remember their main hull was in a cardboard box. It was plastic wrapped inside and the box was banded shut.

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

Thereby raising the possibility that my shipment *really* got hammered.... to the extent that somebody just threw away the remains of the main hull's box.

Sheesh!!!!

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

Done!.... Went well, not a single mark on any of the alu.'

The first "Interesting" part was getting those washers on the bolts inside the new tube. After awhile it dawned on me that all 3 washers on one side had smaller holes than the washers on the other side. Very tight fit - to the extent that the bolt's threads had to be rotated to get through a washer. On the other side, the expected loose fit. Relieved the tight washers, and got it all together.

The second "Interesting" part was a WTF moment when I saw that the fairlead cleat was insufficiently outboard for the saddle on that side to clear it. "What have I done????..... OK, we'll just slide the bar over a little..... OOPS !... the bar is bolted in place by those two problem bolts....... Ahhhhh!..... the bar is not long enough."

Sure enough, the bar they sent was about 25" wide while the proper (damaged) bar is more like 26".

Oh well.....

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I Can't help with that one, I had no idea they even made different bars or changed the design. I just went out and measured my 2012 TI x-bar and it's 26 inches long. Perhaps they sent you an AI X-bar accidentally. Who knew (lol).
Hope you get it worked out.
I won't be ordering a new TI mail order from out of state to save a few bucks in taxes, Florida is wise to that game and makes you pay the Florida sales tax when you go in and register the boat anyway (just FYI to the Florida folks, I'm willing to bet most states do the same).
FE

I didn't do it to save money - although the freight and taxes netted out.

I did it because I was unable to obtain the color I wanted locally. One guy, about an hour away, had a red one and a yellow one... but I wanted grey and figured I didn't want to be staring at a second-choice color for the next 4-5 years.

I *could* have gone to the local dealer and hoped that he got something in by spring..... but, although I'm not quite at the stage where one does not buy the green banannas, I'm getting there and didn't want to lose what's left of this season.

Got it out to the local lake without sail or amas and did about five miles under pedal power. For me, the sweet spot seems to be 5.0-5.3 mph. I can hold 6.0-6.1 for maybe a quarter mile, but that's it. That compares with 6.3-6.5 for a couple of miles back-to-back on my surf ski.

I'm hoping to meet the guy with the 2015 Revo 16 (i.e. pre-2015 AI hull shape) and get him to A/B the two to see what numbers we come up with: sustainable and sprint.

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

You're a more patient man than I...

I would've been kicking heads (figuratively speaking) by now.

There's no way I'd pay big $$$ for something only to to have it damaged in transit.

Anyhow, goo luck getting it finally fixed and on the water...

Cheers,

Mike.

Pete
Both of my xbars were damaged in shipment, looked about the same as yours, also a few scuff marks on the hull and amas.
I also received the wrong xbars when they were replaced. My dealer didn't know they're wider for the 2015 models so they ordered the old part number. Installing them was pretty easy, once I figured how to get the washers on the bolts. The hard part was waiting for the replacement parts. Would I order a kayak on line again, probably not? I forgot all about the problems the first time I got it on the water and have been smiling ever since.
Mike

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Papaya 2015 AI

What on earth are they *doing* to these things?...... whatever those Xbars are made out of seems to me to be pretty tough stuff....... I even went at it with a 5-pound sledge and a flat punch for awhile trying to coax (or bludgeon...) it back into shape...... I got it to yield a little, but not much.

Was yours shipped via Estes Freight?

Stuff happens...... to me the test of a dealer is not whether stuff happens, but instead what the dealer does when it happens.......

Austin Kayaks has come out pretty well in that respect and I would recommend them to anybody - although I would add a caveat about Estes and it's inferior/misleading status notification system.

But, having said all that, I do share your doubts about whether I would do this again.

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

That's what it sounded like to me, the X-bar on my TI is 26 inches long, I'm imagining starting with the 2015 AI-2, the x-bar is now common on both product lines. Now we know
FE

WTF?? So did you get another replacement which was the correct length? If not, your shorter xbar is going to cause your amas to toe in slightly compared to the correct xbar....

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

"Done" was, perhaps, overly-optimistic.....I was referring to the process of getting that problem bolt loose.

Still waiting on the second replacement.

Requested overnite with weekend delivery, got "Next Business Day" so maybe Monday.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

Pete
Mine was delivered by a local company. It looked it was dropped. The driver was very patient, stayed while I opened everything and compared to my order and took pictures of the damage.

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Papaya 2015 AI

Same here: Estes did the long-haul part and then subcontracted the delivery to another outfit.

Now I've got a major woodie for Estes - not because of the damage - but because they tell users to call the local facility to set up an "appointment" for delivery.... and then, when somebody calls, the facility says something to the effect of "Don't call us, we'll call you..." and declines to give out the phone number of the subcontractor.

And, in the end, the "Appointment" consists of "Do you want it on Tuesday or Wednesday?".....

Bottom line, the customer is hostage to a phone call for days at a time and then hostage to the deliver for a full day.

My advice to others entering this situation is that, if Estes is involved, check close with your local Estes terminal and make sure that what is in effect with my local terminal is just an anomaly and not company policy.... and, if it is, consider delivery by Estes to be a deal beaker.

Mine was waaaaay beyond dropped - to the extent that now I wonder if anybody got hurt in the event... -)

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]