hobie odyssey repair

Hi everyone,

I just picked up a used Odyssey and was excited to get it out on the water. My 2 kids and I had it on an urban lake for all of 30 minutes - when we capsized because the hull was half full of water!

After getting the boat home, what I found was that a large crack on the bottom surrounding a scupper hole was patched with some epoxy which didn't hold at all!

Now I need advice on how to repair the hole. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Regards,

Jim

Hi Jim and welcome to the forum. I hope the seller gave you a nice allowance for that little crack!

Most glues and epoxies don't bond with polyethylene. All is not lost, however. Call 3M and find out where you can get some Scotch Weld DP 8010. It's expensive -- about $20 for a small portion, and has only a 5 minute working time (regardless of what you read). Or, if you need something with more body, get the DP 8010 NS.

This stuff will definitely bond with PE! Clean and lightly sand the area, removing all old epoxy. Depending on the nature of your repair, you may want to use 2 applications (1/2 container each): one to connect and the other to seal. Or, you might be able to glue a sleeve in through the scupper if you don't have through hull access.

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

Roadrunner,

Thanks very much for the reply! I'll try the scotch weld.

I have a couple other questions:
1. This boat only has a couple 6" plates riveted where the hatches should be. Do you know if the Odysser would fit 8" hatches?

2. There are a couple places on the bottom of the boat between 2 of the scuppers where the plastic bows inward a little. Is this normal?

Thanks,

Jim

I'm not real familiar with the deck plan or any model changes. Looking at the new Odyssey on the Hobie site though, it looks like there is a 6" hatch at the forward bulkhead and an 8" hatch in the rear cockpit (somewhat similar to our tandem Oasis)

I believe your forward bulkhead is too narrow for an 8" hatch, but the rear cockpit area might accommodate the 8". Including the flange, it has an 11" diameter, so you might make a template of 11 1/4" and see if you have the flat surface to support it.

The dent between your scupper holes was likely caused by the scupper cart. Normally this pops out in the sun, but an extended time on the cart might cause this to become permanent. If you get access (new hatch ?), you might try lightly wedging a piece of wood in there for a day or two in the sun and see if it pops out. Or you can just leave it alone -- it shouldn't hurt anything.

Hi,

Does anybody know the exact hull material for the Odyssey? The manual says Linear Polyethylene and Super Linear Polyethylene (HDPE) at different places? I have a crack at the footwell, and most likely another one at the bow, and am trying to find out best way to fix it.

I thought about welding. I have a soldering gun and can give it a try, but want to make sure I use the right material to have some practice first. Do I need to use a strip from a milk jar, or a HDPE strip?

I also read about the duct tape welding (http://oregonkayaking.net/how_to/boat_repair.html). Any experience on it with the Odyssey?

Also want to know any real experience using the 3M DP8010.

Thanks
Yansheng

Super Linear Polyethylene (HDPE)

We have welding rod available in each color.

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

I've used it on a couple of high stress repairs and have been very impressed with it. That's why I recommend it. You can learn more about it by doing a forum search under 3M or scotch weld or DP 8010.

Locktite 3030 is a very similar product, that I have also used and like just as well. Some people have had success with West Systems GFlex, but I think it's a substantially inferior product after trying it.

PS Here's a link to get you started (look about half way down page 2): viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10176&p=89541

Roadrunner,

Thanks for the information. I will get the 3M DP8010 and give it a try. Sounds very plausible.

I did an experiment with some scrap HDPE material on the plastic welding method, and wasn't convinced by it. I would think it will be very tricky to heat the Kayak and the welding rod to the proper temperature, and otherwise the strength will be no good. I am sure it could be done by trained hands, which will cost way more.

- Regards.