Plastic Hulls

What are we going to do when oil hits $300.00 a barrel, or higher? The cost of the plastic boats will go through the roof. Fiberglass boats will not he nearly as affected.

Two things: If oil hits $300 per barrel nobody will be buying a new boat, our economy will crash. We'll all scrounging for our next meal.

two: Fibreglass construction is probably just about as petroleum intensive as plastic.

I'd never heard this before . . . Alter designed the H14 to get surfers out to the breaking waves?? What did they do with the catamaran when they rode a wave in? Seems like it would only be good for the initial trip out, and then back in when you were done surfing.[/quote]


Why do you think the Hobie 16 was made Gree?

Really? Isn't oil needed for the production of epoxy resin?

i think we're re-treading old material here. the 14 was never meant to work in conjunction with surfboards. it was mainly to give the california surfers something to do when the wind knocked the surf down or made it too sloppy. there would have been no reason, anywhere in california, to need help getting out to the lineup. unless you're surfing 40 ft. Maverick's, in fact, there's still no reason.

also, if i'm not mistaken, hobie's are made of polyester resin, not epoxy. this may have changed, and it's certainly possible that polyester resin requires petroleum to produce, and at any rate, petroleum prices aren't really at good reason to stop buying plastic boats. the fiberglass boats come along with their own slew of environmental and energy-consumption concerns.

i've said this already, but this thread seems to be generating a lot of response, so i don't mind saying it again:

in my opinion, the only real issue is the imperitave of the consumer. we're not talking about what hobie should do, because hobie, being a business, should do what makes them the most money and, as things stand now, plastic boats are the most profitable. a disposable product always is, since it makes maintenance, which allows the possibility that something will last indefinitely, impossible.
what we're talking about (again this is my argument--i'm not speaking for anyone else that i know of), is what the consumer should do. if they don't start asking for more accountability from hobie, there will be no more fiberglass boats. right now, it seems like hobie is phasing out a product that typically lasts ten to twenty years, and sometimes longer, for a product that, however long it lasts, must be replaced when damaged beyond usefulness because it is impossible to repair. "that's fine," you say, "they're indestructible."
but if they are really so confident that the boats are completely indestructable or that the polymers used in their construction won't break down from uv exposure, why is there no extended warranty? even a toyota now comes with a three-year, 100,000 mile warranty, and automobiles are far from indestructible under even normal duress.

i'm not trying to make hobie sound like a big, bad corporation, here. hobie is a business like any other, whose only real censure is its customers. and without any negative response from them, hobie will and should continue to do that which costs them the least and costs you guys the most.

If we are talking about a warrenty for damage from UV, that would be great. But, Hobie obviously cannot warrenty against accidents. misuse, and normal wear and tear. Even Toyota does not warrenty against that.

The use of the boats is so variable it will be very hard to define a warrenty for them. Even auto manufacturers with the 100,000 mile warrenty do not cover items such as a clutch in a manual tranny as thier useful life is so dependent on how a person drives.

I think there are plenty of people with plastic hulled boats (hobie and otherwise) that have had them sitting in the sun long enough to alleviate any fears of them crumbling due to UV damage.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

"disposable products"(?), "resin doesn't fluctuate with oil prices", "plastic boats don't last in the uv".

Come on guys...

This thread is getting silly!

First, have any of you anti- plastic boat guys ever owned one of the rotomolded Hobies, and can actually talk from firsthand experience? I don't see any in your signature lines. If anyone of you has a problem with UV degradation of plastic hulls, please post some photos, because I'd like to see it.

Second, The "disposable product" comment is WAY off the mark. These boats are not "disposable products". I don't know what gave you that idea, but it is solely YOUR opinion and should not be stated as truth or having any authority.

And third, Polyester resin absolutely does fluctuate with petroleum prices.


There is so much misinformation in this thread that I can't address it all. Anyone trying to develop an opinion about what type of Hobie to purchase should take it with a grain of salt, and realize that nobody here has given any specific examples of hull degradation when exposed to UV.

And to those that are speculating about the durability of the plastic boats (while never having actually owned one), ask yourself why some of the most sunny, tropical resorts in the world have hundreds (thousands?) of these boats sitting on their beaches ready to take thousands (millions?) of vacationers on an adventure. The rental market is a pretty tough test to put these poor, fragile, disposable things though don't you think?

Please support your comments with some documentation, rather than pure speculation influenced by your bias against plastic boats. That way, we could have a discussion based on facts rather than opinions.

I think it's just like with any new technology that people don't understand.

For the record, I had a 95 Hobie Wave come into the shop the other day, NOT for new hulls, but for a new trampoline. I asked him where he kept the boat. He said in his driveway in San Jose--uncovered. I asked him where he sailed and he mentioned all of the usual lakes here in Nor Cal, then he said the SF bay and Santa Cruz. I'd say it's definitely not a "disposable" boat.

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I've been reading this thread with wonder......

Wondering how PLASTIC became a four letter word.

Wondering how "low maintenance" became "disposable".

Wondering how all those resorts could have made the same huge mistake.

Wondering how more time on the water was not a good thing.

Wondering when sanity would surface.

Looks like it's today. Thanks Jeremy!

Well, I've been reading too. And I am glad I have, its been...interesting. I AM in the market for a new boat, and I fully expect to be able to buy my first NEW boat very soon. I have been impressed with the durability of the Hobie 16. I have only been sailing since 1988, so my experience is still much lower than most of you. I have done some repairs that I did not think were within my skill range. My local Hobie dealer (Sailing and Ski Connection) in Myrtle Beach always encouraged me, backing me up with advise, instructions, and parts. Add to that the fact that they would be more than happy to do it too (for a reasonable fee), that's SERVICE! So when I saw the wave, I must admit, I laughed.

After reading all this, I feel silly. The boat seems to make everyone who sails it happy, for what it is. I'm not talking about the material it is made of, I'm talking about what it does. I really want to see what a larger "sportier" version would look like. I'm on a sandy, wide beach. I have lugged my 16 alot more than I should have just chasing the tide. A couple of small metal runners are there just to save the bottom, do the "plastic" models not have something like this? What kind of repairs could not be done to one? Seriously, I'm not trying to ask a rhetorical question. I really want to know. If I forget to tie it to my trailer and it blows off, then gets run over by a Mack truck, I guess that would do it. But then, my auto (or boat) insurance would cover it. Not to mention than my fiberglass boat would probably be beyond repair under the same circumstances.

Now, I do have to admit that my (older) 16 hulls are still in pretty good shape, just ......well, not in my possession any more. They dated back to the early 80's. So will the newer ones last THAT long? And, do they cost as much as fiberglass? I really want to know if anyone has first or second hand knowledge of an old ....Wave that the "plastic" parts just failed on. Someone has got to have a set that got too hot and melted...probably not. Maybe one has flaked or peeled apart, gotten brittle and suffered a hole, or parts just would not stay in. That probably would not deter me either. I've seen "soft" hulls, cracked ones, and several that looked like a dried up lake bed. Six of one, half a dozen of the other?

I am glad I have been following this thread. I think I will go down tomorrow and put my hands on one. Kinda try to figure out a way to compare apples to oranges.

Is the Wave the "best" plastic one currently in production?
I really would like to hear some true horror stories about the plastic ones, just to get informed.

Yeah, I know. I wasn't even thinking about the Getaway. See, never even gave plastic a second thought till I read this.

Anyone care to rate the performance of a Getaway to a 16?
First hand real experence.

fair enough; i can see i'm not convincing anyone.

not to change the subject, but posted a question about the difference between rigging and sailing a 14 and a 16 over in the hobie14 section. any advice would be appreciated.

It's official. The plastic guys are way more sensitive than the fiberglas guys. I do like the fact that the durability test between the two has come down to falling off trailers at highway speeds. It's hard to compare durability of boat that's been around 30 plus years to a boat that's been around what, 12 years? The plastic boats seem like they will last a long time, which is great for any boat owner, how long is speculation. It might even be safe to say that a neglected plastic boat would probably outlast a neglected fiberglas boat. I wish more people would just come out and just say they are ugly compared to the fiberglas boats, like I am.

I just enjoy reading pissed off posts.

I love my getaway but then again its the first sail boat we've ever owned. I've owned kayaks made out of the same stuff for years though...keep them outside....no UV damage.

Wow, it is unusual for a thread to take off like this.

I think there is a use for both type of boats but I would really like to see a more high performance plastic boat.

I think the Dart 16 is a plastic boat that has nearly the exact same portsmouth numbers as the Hobie 16. I am correct? Granted they are not here in the US but they could be someday.

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