Pollo de muerte wrote:
The slow leak was a design defect and not a result of poor build quality (not sure how much that matters to the discussion). The early mirage drive kayaks would eventually develop stress cracks in the pedal drive area. I read that if you upgraded the fins, it would get worse faster. I always used the original Outback mirage drive on that first yak which had slightly larger fins than some other V1 drives, but definitely less surface area than the V2 Turbo fins which I use now.
I used that '04 Outback until this past December. The slow leak wouldn't force me to reach for the bilge pump during my normal trip, so I didn't feel it was a huge problem, but you are correct that it was definitely a hull failure.
I think Hobie addressed the design issue several years ago.
Of my 6 Hobie kayaks, I've replaced lots of shock cord (wear and tear item), one toggle handle (replaced the rope) and one rudder (operator error). Every other repair was to one of the mirage drives (a couple of bent masts, and an overhaul due to age). My experience w/r/t quality and durability has been pretty good.
I wonder if fishing trips put more stress on the yak than a typical cruise. More gear = more weight, more reliance on the pedal drive (i.e., not sailing), longer days. That's not imply that you are misusing or abusing the boat, but it seems that serious fishermen see more issues than those of us out there for just for fun and exercise.
I also thought they had corrected the stress crack problem, but apparently not.
It might be the "longer days" for fishing use. Obviously, that part of the hull flexes in use. The more times it flexes, the sooner it is likely to fail. Clearly it is still a weak spot.