I have a hobie outback 2019 purshased from an authorized local dealer February this year, weather here in the Middle East does not allow you to fish all year around so technically i fished approx 20 times with the yak, couple of weeks ago I was surprised with an alarming amount of water taken inside the hull.. I did apply soap and water with an electric pump to scan the outer side of the hull and found out a tiny crack by the rear LHS scupper hole. The local dealer was contacted, hobie warranty was filled and sent to hobie international (France) to claim the warranty.. Surprisingly the technical department said that this is not covered by warranty to which i wonder what on earth is covered than if you put a 2 years warranty on the hull.
Ill give you an idea on what conditions i use my kayak:
My weight is 79kg I have trailer for transporting the kayak I use a Railblaza C-TUG cart from day 1 which means no pressure on the scupper holes The kayak is properly stored upside down as per hobie instructions
Can anyone from Hobie tech advise me on what circumstances Mr. X from hobie international in France used his discretion to determine that this is not covered by warranty?
I have attached a picture and a link to a video for your reference.
Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm Posts: 15087 Location: Oceanside, California
Looks to me as though something has cut/cracked the reinforcement tube and the hull?
Can you get a lower angle shot of the damage to the scupper reinforcement? I can see light showing through? Is the lip of the scupper reinforcement cracked off?
Can we also see your trailer setup without the boat on it?
_________________ Matt Miller Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales Warranty and Technical Support Hobie Cat USA (Retired 11/7/2022)
Looks to me as though something has cut/cracked the reinforcement tube and the hull?
Can you get a lower angle shot of the damage to the scupper reinforcement? I can see light showing through? Is the lip of the scupper reinforcement cracked off?
Can we also see your trailer setup without the boat on it?
Hi Matt, thanks for your reply, The scupper reinforcement is not cracked nor damaged but indeed there is a bit of space between the hull and the reinforcement tube which i think is the reason why the light is showing through, I have attached another (old) picture for your reference as my boat is still with the local dealer as they are the ones communicating with hobie international (France).
Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm Posts: 15087 Location: Oceanside, California
The issue here that Hobie Europe likely had noted as the cause, I think, is the trailer. The tubes place a direct load on the scupper and surrounding plastic. Steel tubes? Some here use PVC that flexes to the shape of the hull rocker to further distribute loads, but this looks to be the issue. We do not recommend using the PVC and would never suggest storage on rigid rails.
I would not be able to over-ride their decision on this.
_________________ Matt Miller Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales Warranty and Technical Support Hobie Cat USA (Retired 11/7/2022)
The issue here that Hobie Europe likely had noted as the cause, I think, is the trailer. The tubes place a direct load on the scupper and surrounding plastic. Steel tubes? Some here use PVC that flexes to the shape of the hull rocker to further distribute loads, but this looks to be the issue. We do not recommend using the PVC and would never suggest storage on rigid rails.
I would not be able to over-ride their decision on this.
Thanks again Matt for your quick reply, the tech dept from Hobie international never asked to have a look at my trailer setup, having said that, these are soft tubes that are specifically made to absorb the pressure / vibration directed to the hull, furthermore, i am a owner of hobie kayaks since 5 years using the same mode of transport and never had an issue before.
Anyway, i do appreciate your follow up and would love to see other users opinion on this..
The issue here that Hobie Europe likely had noted as the cause, I think, is the trailer. The tubes place a direct load on the scupper and surrounding plastic. Steel tubes? Some here use PVC that flexes to the shape of the hull rocker to further distribute loads, but this looks to be the issue. We do not recommend using the PVC and would never suggest storage on rigid rails.
I would not be able to over-ride their decision on this.
I don't see how using PVC tubes is any different from using the Hobie trailer cradles. There is no difference in the load in either method, as long as the PVC tubes are set up to the correct width of the boat. So please explain why Hobie doesn't recommend using PVC. And if you don't have a trailer your car topping it on rigid roof rack rails so it looks like a no win situation.
Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm Posts: 15087 Location: Oceanside, California
This boat is in the middle east, so hot conditions.
Heat causes issues when the plastic is under constant load. This is why we warn about hanging from the handles at any temperature. The plastic "cold flows" and that is exacerbated by heat. The fittings that are molded into the hull can be literally pulled out of the boat.
With PVC rails running along the creases where the scuppers are located, over time we see the outer hulls slump down and the scuppers push up. This causes the deck to raise and can tear the plastic near the load points... the scuppers. Tight straps also contribute. This may be due to stiffer PVC pipes... maybe some that bend easier and better conform to the bottom shape and support along the length of the hull would be OK.
Hull cradles support the bottom and out across to the rails in a larger sq footing. Not just the middle. We don't see issues with cradle use. Plain and simple.
We do see hulls dented from car racks if just touching middle of the hulls. This is cosmetic mostly.
Best to flip the hull upside down as described in manuals. The rails are stiffest and will not slump over time.
_________________ Matt Miller Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales Warranty and Technical Support Hobie Cat USA (Retired 11/7/2022)
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