Warning to current Getaway owners!!

Im a 2018 Hobie Getaway owner, which I bought new from my local dealer. Believe it or not, I got my port hull bow twisted like a water bottle from vacuum inside the hull right in-front of me. Because of putting ice in the port hull built in "icebox" in summer while the boat was sitting on beach sand. Which I now discovered you shouldn't do in a plastic "beachcat", if you live in hot summer areas.

The issue now is not paying for the new replacement hull, but Hobie doesn't have a spare hull for a 2018 boat!!

I tried to fix the bow with hot water, it didn't work. The reverse bow is now too flexible you can move it by hand.

So, unlike fiberglass, if your a current Getaway owner, and your plastic hull is damaged. Go park it next to your closest polyutherene dumpster.

The bows sunk in? You can use heat and air pressure to expand the boat back to its original shape.

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

The bow sunked in, and folded out if you look at it from the top. I used that method, the bow returned straight. But any little pressure will cause the bow to fold out again. Which happened when I sailed starboard tack, bow became too weak. And the fold line on the hull is visible from outside.

https://imgur.com/a/6TYesf3

Plastic can be an interesting material to work with. But you seem to be at the point of having dump filler so you've got a low risk factor to playing around with it.

I'd heat the bow, then use a little bit of air pressure (maybe 10 psi -- you meed to experiment with how much is needed -- enough to force the plastic into its original shape and not a pound more) to pop the hull back into its original shape, using the air pressure to force the crease out of it. This should all be done while maintaining the heat. I'd leave the heat on for a while and maintain air pressure for at least thirty minutes, giving the plastic a chance to reform itself. After removing the heat, leave the air pressure on. Keep the air pressure on until the hull has completely cooled down (and I would not pick a hot day to do this). Then leave the air pressure on for another thirty minutes or so.

Normally plastic backs fairly easily. Sometimes it needs a lot more work and time. Plan on a long afternoon to get this done.

Jim Clark-Dawe

I used hot water to maintain heat, with a compressor for air. The issue is that the side walls on the hull are not as thick as the skeg. So the side hull walls will start to balloon out, while the thick skeg bellow is still bent. The bent made a permanent fold line in the plastic soft. Similar to folding a paper sheet, then trying to remove the fold. These plastic hulls are simply not built to last.

Maybe cut a hole in the deck, tilt the boat so the sterns are up in the air, and pour in some 4 pound polyurethane expanding foam to make the bow rigid. I did that on an older Hobie 18 that was very flexible right at the tip of the bow. After the foam hardened, it was rock solid.

sm

That sucks, that's crazy! I feel for ya. Is there a way of sandwiching the hull in between to hard surfaces to keep it from over expanding? Correct me if i'm wrong but i believe hobie went back to the old hull design (pre 2017) so when they do get them back in stock it will be of the older design.

Hobie must make a stronger bow design, maybe go back more and re-make a modern H18. I was planning to upgrade to the Hobie Pearl, but it sadly discontinued this year. I won't go back to a plastic hull after this one.

My last choice is to fill the bow inside with foam, through the inspection port in the storage hatch. I can attach a hose to the foam can, run that hose through a thin straight plastic pipe, to reach the bow. I delt with capsizing solo "not an issue with a righting bag", de-mast, comp tip break..but I sail too far to worry about snapping the bow again. I want a reliable boat.

That does suck. Can happen on glass boats too.
https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA

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Bryan
Poplar Grove, IL
1977 Hobie 16 (died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA)
1978 Hobie 16

You subjected this boat to a vacuum and the hull imploded. Mythbusters showed you can do this to a 55 gallon metal drum, so I'm not surprised at a vacuum's effect on a plastic boat. A massive force that the hull is not designed to deal with, other than through having a vent hole. And the vent holes aren't too big so that a sudden temperature differential can cause a large difference in pressure between the inside and the outside of the hull.

I'd had an idea on fixing this, but I like SRM's option better.

Jim Clark-Dawe

The difference is that the H16 in your video looks like it's 30+ years old, unlike my 3 year old Getaway. And, I bet you could find a new hull from Hobie for your boat.

Plastic hulled Hobies w/comp tip simply dont tolerate heat like the previous fiberglass/all aluminum mast boats. I believe the boats from Hobie now are built as resort toys, not for true sailors anymore. Which I don't blame them as a company if that's where the demand is.

I just wish Hobie makes a modern fiberglass cruising beachcat with wings. Since all new fiberglass beachcats are into one class racing exclusively.

Resorts are the most demanding on the boats, so they are very tough. This is just an unfortunate situation where the mold has failed. It was problematic already and a decision was made to change the hull shape again. Back to the original.

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

Are you making new hulls currently, or does a new tool need to be made before new hulls can be produced again?

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Scott
Hobie 18 w/wings
Hobie/Holder 12 Funseeker
2 Hobie Waves
Tandem Oasis Kayak
Hobie 16
Southern California

The new mold is in service, but so far behind... production will be limited.

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

Has anyone seen pictures or specs of the new hull shape on the net?

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Ashus
Mirror, Bosun, Laser, Fireball, Hobie 16, Dart 18, IOR 1 Tonner, 1720, Ozgoose, Hobie Getaway