Another view, showing the bend matching the hull curve.

This is just a portion of the back orders. No idea if dealers have sold though though.

350 kits assembled and ready to ship this week.

From Monday:

Dealers would receive the following week or two.

Any chance you could share the parts you used to create this? The more detailed the better...Any issues since you installed it? Thanks!

Sorry, I missed your post. Again, it would have been easier to buy actual H rails, but they weren’t available. But I do like that I can now use standard T bolt track fittings and gear, and on all 4 sides.

Here’s the rail material:

1” square 4-sided T track, with rounded corners. I bought 6 ft lengths.

https://8020.net/1010-black.html


The ends are made from 1” thick HDPE from Amazon. The main dimensions are shown on the sketch below. Cuts were made on a crosscut sled on a table saw, front edges rounded on a router table. I countersunk the mounting screw holes so the screws were hidden and didn’t have to be so long. SS #14 pan head sheet metal screws fit the mounting holes on the Lynx, make sure they don’t extend more than 5/8” into the mounting holes, that seems to be what Hobie does elsewhere on the Lynx.

Bending the rails to match the hull curve (mostly!) was the hardest part, it takes patience and check as you go. I ended up setting up blocks of wood on the floor about 7” high to hold up the rail at each end of the 6 ft rail lengths I had purchased, placing about a 2 ft length of 3/4” board on top of the middle of the rails, then standing and bouncing on it until it had enough bend. Put a pice f cardboard or mat benea h the center of the rail so you don’t scratch it if you’re on concrete. The wooden board is used to help get a smoother curve instead of just a sharp bend in the middle. If you don’t get enough bend, bounce a little harder, invite a friend and/or make the end blocks taller. When you get the curve you want, determine the exact length by installing the HDPE end pieces onto your Lynx and marking the length for a close fit. Drill clearance holes for the two #14 screws at each end, then a 1/2” hole through the top of the rail so the screw head rests down into the rail slot.

I cut the rails to length, after bending, with a carbide blade on a circular saw, could also do it with a table saw. Carbide blades handle aluminum easily.

To get standard T bolts to work, I had to create entry slots about 1.5” long using a router with a 1/2” diameter carbide bit, using a simple fixture to hold the rail beneath and control the width ( a little over .5”) and length. I also ground down the edges of the T bolt flat part a bit so they would slide inside the track. Use a T bolt and a scrap piece of track to dial this in.

A later refinement I made to provide more side load strength was to make some HDPE rectangular foot pads that are a bit wider and longer than the HDPE end piece bottoms. A picture is attached.

Buying the rails is easier- if they are available! But they weren’t, and now I have rails that work great.

My dealer says the Hobie rep said the H-rails were discontinued because they were breaking Lynx kayaks and they are not in the process of making new ones and that i should get a refund instead of continuing to wait for them. For me, this is somewhat devastating because i was building a track-mounted side-mounted transom mount for my Watersnake and Torqeedo trolling motors.