Quality Control ??..

I was going back and forth so many times about what Hobie I should buy ....It was between a Revo and an Outback, but I did a lot of fishng with EZ and he was peddling a Pro Angler and he always looked so comfortable and had everything he needed at a short reach .....I started asking more and more questions and saw that this yak/boat handled chop pretty darn good and moved along good too so I took the plunge and bought my first Hobie !!!....A P.A. !!.....I envisioned so many things that I wanted to do to this boat, and I wanted to see how easy it would be to take off the flat gunnel peices that you can mount things to .....The back 2 screws were easy as they threaded right into little brass nuts that were already molded in the deck ....That was nice until I got to the front 2 screws and they did NOT have nuts imbedded into the deck ...I wondered why Hobie would stop at only 2 of the nuts on each side being imbedded into the deck ...I figured OK this is a BIG yak/boat , and I will have no problem with the nuts and bolts in the front as I had access to them right ? .....WRONG ....The rod tubes are in the way !!...OK no problem , I'll just take them out of my way by unscrewing the 4 screws ...3 screws I could get to , but the 4th was in the corner and because it was on an angle , I had to take the top gunnel pieces off to do this ....Hey wait a minute ...That was what I was trying to do from the beginning !!! So after going back and forth and manuevering the gunnel piece around so I could get to last screw , I took the rod holder out ....I looked at this little thin piece of gray material that came out and realized that this is what Hobie used for a gasket on the flange of the rod holder ...WHAT ???....This thing was paper thin and garbage !!....I finally got to the screw on the gunnel piece , and began to back it out, and it was STRIPPED !!!....Out of the 4 screws and nuts , 2 of them were JAMMED on to the screw , and here I am fighting with these things to get the nuts off that had those nylon locks on them ....I fought with these things because they are not nuts and bolts, they are phillips head screws and nuts ..... I worked for HOURS getting these things out .....I know that it looks like a walk in the park to change these boards out for different mountings that you might want to do , but if your PA is put together anything like mine was , you're in for surprise !!.....I would have expected this kind of shoddy craftsmanship from a cheapo kayak , but from a $2200 Hobie ? >......I made my own gaskets for the flanges on the rod holders from DECENT material that will hold back water when this thing flips .....I also put tbe new screws in WITHOUT cross threadng them this time .....I did the same thing on the other side , but only 1 screw was cross threaded , so this side took me less time to fix .....Quality Control ???......Surely lacking on my P.A. !!!!......I also ran some weather stripping foam around both the inside of the front hatch and the cutting board hatch to make the seal tighter so I don't have to worry about any water entering the PA when it flips ....You will notice I have mentioned "when it flips " a couple of times ....I already know that anybody can be caught off guard, and I also know that ANY kayak/boat can flip ....It's not a matter of IF but WHEN it will flip !!.....I will be ready ...... After seeing what I have seen , and trying to do something that SHOULD HAVE BEEN a simple proceedure , I am going to be going thru this P.A. VERY closely in the future ...This has surely left a bad impresson on me ....I haven't even gotten out on the water to enjoy this thing yet !!!..... Jim

Your right for not being too happy with Hobie. Did you call Hobie and give them an earfull? l darn sure would have. How can you tell when your buying one how well they're put together?? l'm thinking of buying one and l would really hate to get a lemon. l'm waiting to hear how well the pa's handle the ocean, l live in Half Moon Bay Ca. Where it can get choppy in a hurry and l could use some insite on this matter. Hope everything works out with your pa. Jim

well Jim, sorry about your issues. I'm sure tho that you will have it in tip top shape, and once you do you'll get years of enjoyment out of it, and won't need to buy another any time soon ...at least until the QC is sorted , and hopefully you'll have so much fun those ugly thoughts over all those long hours will be way back in your mind so you can just enjoy.

Thanks for the heads up tho, another Hobie is in my not too distant future.

Neil

All of that to "test" how easy is is to remove and replace the mounting boards? Nightmare! I'll certainly forward a link to this issue to our factory.

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

I am putting on a set of mounting boards that I made that are 3/4 inch thick and they will have an aluminum track in them that will fit a 1/4 inch bolt of any length of your choosing that slides along the track ....I will then mount fish finder mounts, rod holders , compass, over the side transducers , etc to a base that will have 2 of these 1/4 inch bolts , with round knobs to tighten ....Basically anything you want to mount will be on a removeable base that you can just slide onto the track, and tighten with 2 knobs for strength ...If you don't like your Fish Finder close to you, you will be able to push it toward the front of the mounting board ....Don't want your fish finder on at all ? ....No problem , just slide it off , and slide on what you want on there ....You will be able to put what you went where you want it and if you don't like it , you can change it to whatever suits your fancy .... I'll post pictures when I have it set up ....

Matt,
Thank you for your concern...It means a lot ...For the average guy that wants to change out his mounting boards, having ALL 4 of the threaded nuts molded into the yak/boat would REALLY be a HUGE help ... Those front 2 screws and nuts are a PITA to get to ... Do me a favor and take the front 2 screws and nuts off of your mounting boards and give me your thoughts ..... Thanks again for your concern ....Jim

The factory is considering this. I am told that the forward ones had to be drilled when installed as the boats shrink rates vary. They may need to elongate one or more of the holes in the boards to make this work. We'll see what they come up with. This is a good idea (replaceable) that was complicated by the reality of production issues. Doesn't explain the stripped screws though. Thanks for the feedback.

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

Yes !! The replaceable mounting boards are a GREAT idea .....I was actually pretty impressed when I saw how accurately the holes lined up ...If the two holes that have the brass inserts lined up , why is there a problem with the other two ? ...Even if they had to elongate the holes , it would be a MUCH better solution than what exists now ... Jim