2017 i14t drive well cracked 25month after delivery (photos)

Hello,
today I found my 2017 i14t front drive well cracked without damaging it prior or noticing anything going wrong. I've been for a two hour tour yesterday and stored it inflated flat on the ground overnight. How is it possible that something like that happens? I use the cart pretty much just at the back drive well because it feels more balanced so damaging it while moving is not a possibility. When not in use the boat is stored slightly inflated inside as recommended in the manual.



I guess gluing it will be the quick fix so it can be used on this holiday, but there's also a replacement part for this? (79050001 MIRAGE WELL ASSY - INFLATABLES) Doesn't seem easy to replace since the drive well is glued in.
I searched the forum but the topics on this issue have been unanswered so far. Quite sad:

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=61622
https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=61458

I honestly don't think that I should have to mess with glue on broken plastic parts on a boat at that age. I already contacted the dealer I bought it from, but from the history dealing with them I sadly don't expect anything. How is Hobies politics on issues like that?

Cheers Peter

Hello,
now I´ve got the pictures working.
After a thoroughly inspection I found the back well cracked as well! Not as bad as the front at the moment but there's the same problem!

Hello,
sadly nobody replied to my post but now its time for an update.
It was more than disappointing that for most of the last six (or in other words half a year!!) nothing happened! As a reminder in September 2019 I emailed the case with pictures to my dealership.

Nothing happened, so I asked several times about what was going on. About 2 month later my dealership emailed me that Hobie requested pictures which I sent in my very first email but they couldn't find them anymore. So I sent them the pictures on the 18 of november 2019 again and waited once more without anything coming back.
So on the 26 of February 2020 (5 month after the first email) I asked once again what was going on. It was then after my request that I got an email from my dealership that Hobie declined a warranty claim.
At that point I waited 5 month for nothing more then a short message that Hobie thinks it's not their business anymore!

The dealership offered me to forward the contact details for a company which might be able to attempt a repair at my cost and risk.
Since I'm not happy with this solution they also offered me a hull-only-i14t but at a (normal?) price that's not competitive to a new fully-equipped-i14t on 09 of March 2020. If I would accept this option just to have peace of mind on the water with an intact kayak, Hobie would still make money on the replacement after their product failed in the first place. Which I btw still consider a material defect because my slightly older and more often used i12 shows no problems with the drive well, so I should know how to handle the kayak.

All in all not only the communication with the dealership was bad, the customer relations management was bad, the claim management was bad, all in all it took half a year and so far Hobie hasn't moved an inch to try and fix the problem.
As you can read I'm more then unhappy!

I ask the Hobie warranty support to get into direct contact with me and to work on a solution!
I still have a little hope that there's more support and an accommodating search for a solution. That would be the fairness I expect after buying such a product and not the process I experienced so far.

What part of the World are you in?

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

Hello, I'm from Germany.

Your distributor is in Holland and they would handle the warranty.

HOBIE KAYAK EUROPE
Independent Distributor
Kayaks within Europe

Delta Industrieweg 40 A
Stellendam 3251 LX
Netherlands
31-187499440
[email protected]

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

Thanks for the contact details, but what am I now supposed to do?
As I understand HOBIE KAYAK EUROPE declined the case and offered no replacement or discounted hull as in other cases.
Honestly now I question if I'm a second class customer just because I pay in euros!

Contact them direct to plead your case. If they have questions they can contact our warranty manager here.

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

Well I wrote them an email and once more I wait.
I'll keep everyone who's interested here updated.
Hopefully the topic can now be resolved.

Hello, just a quick update, it was again a back and forth between Hobie Europe, the dealer and me. Not much help or cooperation at the beginning.
Just because I didn't give up pointing at the different dealing with issues in the US and Europe I got in the end an i14t hull at a reduced price, which still isn't going to hurt anyone.
All in all it took till December 2020 until the replacement hull was available and I picked it up in February 2021. Significantly more than a year after I contacted my dealer first with the problem. After this experience I just hope that I don't have any issues with my Hobie kayaks in the future, since it cost way too much time, money and nerves. Selling top-price kayaks might be easy but then the support afterwards has to fulfill the same standard.
Cheers Aspe