My '09 Outback has a hidden leak.

I was out duck hunting yesterday and discovered that I was sinking. I mean sinking! Fortunately, I was already quite a distance from the launching site and I had to find an island to pull up on. There, I pulled the kayak up on the island as far as I could, opened the rear drain, and let it go. It must have taken about 10 minutes for all the water to drain out. I replaced the plug, and headed back to the launch which only took about 10 minutes to get back to (I tried to move pretty fast due to the circumstances). When I got back, the boat must have had about 5 gallons of water in it again. After a thorough inspection of the hull, I could not find any damage, or holes anywhere. What I would like to know is, are there common "hidden" places where these boats develop cracks or holes?

Tons of information on here about the possible issues.. There are some hulls that might get through the inspection process and need looking at again. Drive well, especially where the front "locating pin" sits. Seat area where the scuppers and seat supports are. Other scuppers or support moldings. It would be prudent to contact the dealer as it's most likely a warranty issue. Could have been 'injured' in the store by dry sitting on the kayak on hard surfaces. Dropping into the seat would 'discover' a weak spot and using the drive system as a pry bar to get your rear out of the seat or adjust yourself in the seat can also bring a weak spot to the surface. As a side note, those are things to remember not to do when everything's been taken care of.
Good luck.

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Yakkingaway
Portsmouth, VA

Found the hole! It was inside the scupper hole where the wheel cart goes into. In fact, that is how it happened. It must have been when I turned the kayak on its side and put the wheel cart on. In the process of flipping it back upright, one of the wheel cart towers slipped back and did not set in properly. Thus, the wheel cart tower tore a hole in the side of the scupper hole. It is understandable. The plastic in this location is about as thin as a milk gallon jug. I hope the warranty covers it.

I have pool noodles stuffed in my PA and outback for flotation just in case. I also carry a pump bailer in the PA.

Ouch... that sux.... that's a maneuver that has to be done carefully. I don't trust the scupper carts an inch..... very gentle with them. For temporary use, stuff some closed cell foam in the hole, top and bottom... foam golf balls or something... of course after getting kayak to the water with the wheels. Good luck.

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Yakkingaway
Portsmouth, VA

The next question is...if the warranty does not cover it, how can it possibly be fixed? First, it is almost impossible to reach. Only if I stretch my arm as far as I can inside the kayak, I can just barely reach it. Second, what type of material do they make they can reinforce the tear to make it as strong as original? Any ideas?

I'd be talking to Hobie before you started worrying about fixing it.. but I think the easiest method of being able to use the kayak in the mean time.... is stuff something in the "through tube" (scupper hole to no where) from underneath. Even might have to go so far as using a different style kayak cart. Permanently filling the scupper tube.

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Yakkingaway
Portsmouth, VA

Yakkingaway makes some good points. For temporary sealing you can use clear packing tape to close off the scupper at the bottom. I use this to seal off the front drivewell, for example, when taking the tandem out solo. The tape holds well for months if the surface is clean and dry when taped.


For a more permanent fix, you could glue in a thinwall brass or stainless liner, or just epoxy the damaged scupper from inside the hole and carefully sand it down smooth if the alignment is still good. There are two excellent epoxies for polyethylene -- Scotchweld DP8010 (3M) and Loctite 3030.

It might also be a good idea to upgrade to the newer long armed cart that locks the cart into the scupper hole so this won't happen again.

Using the cart that doesn't go all the way up through the hole is an issue too. I think Hobie did a boo boo in that respect. I fixed mine like this..... It's crude.... but it works.
find something that "doesn't fit well" and make it fit well enough and drill a hole for the pin. I now leave the pin attached to the bungies on the rear of the kayak. I put the lengthened end in the same side hole all the time.

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Yakkingaway
Portsmouth, VA

There should be no issue with the Outback. The new cart works on all the boats, except that the early version of the new cart was not long enough to operate the pin on the Pro Angler. It looks like they redesigned the cart before they finished designing the PA, or put the cart before the horse, so to speak.

The current version of the new cart locks up on all the boats, including the PA.

Mine didn't. Cart was before the horse. That's my fix and it's working fine. I'm guessing there might be a few more out there the same. I'm wanting the larger wheels now which I see they've brought out.

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Yakkingaway
Portsmouth, VA

Hobie, you're a great company! Just got word from my dealer that you're sending me an entire new hull. Thanks!

Isn't that awesome..... great customer service. I've seen none better.

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Yakkingaway
Portsmouth, VA