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PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:35 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:26 am
Posts: 11
i am on my second outback first one had a biiig crack in it(by no fault of me)...why are these kayaks so weak? i mean we spend all this money on them and you have to baby them. We fish these kayaks hard and all i hear are problems with the drives, hulls cracking etc... Now dont get me wrong i love the idea of this kayak perfect for fishing hands free, but hobie really has to step up and make these things stronger. If i end up with another crack i might just go to a different brand like ocean kayaks. My old sit in kayak i could pick it up and throw it across the parking lot and not worry about it.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 4:42 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
Not certain of your intent here, but it is unfortunate that you feel this way. We stand behind the product with extended warranty in most cases. In your case... have you contacted a dealer for support? Have you filed a warranty claim?

ALL kayak brands experience some problems. We do push the limits far beyond what other makers do in regard to stress on the hulls with the MirageDrive, deck contours, molded-in features, color mixes. All contribute to the difficulty of molding a hull. We also build more product than most all the other brands these days... that is a lot of kayaks and in that by itself, logic says you would see more.

Most of our hull issues are well behind us now. Since 2007 model year we made significant changes to the drive wells, more recently the Click and Go locking system solved more. We are constantly looking for better materials to use. We are now far ahead of the plastic industry in understanding when a batch of material is right or wrong. All of this has made a huge difference.

So, contact your dealer if you have not already done so. We are always willing to look at a situation regardless of the kayaks age.

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Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 4:47 pm 
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Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:07 pm
Posts: 1041
Location: Ontario, Canada
I do think it's fair to say that a HUGE majority of Hobie kayak users have no problems at all. Those that do, have often found that Hobie goes to tremendous lengths to make things right. If you've gone through two boats, you've either been incredibly unlucky, or you may have to look at how you're using the boats.

Yes you can find all kinds of problems, but by the numbers Hobie boats, and service are among the best in the industry. I've had other kayaks, and I can tell you that for what these boats are made for, they're some of the best out there.

EDIT: After re-reading your post, I see you've only been through one boat, not two. If your first boat had a crack through no fault of your own, you really do need to take it to the dealer. So if you're worried about this boat, if anything goes wrong, go to your dealer and see what they can do. Hobie will work with your dealer to deal with any cracks that develop through no fault of your own.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 5:16 am 
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Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:47 am
Posts: 53
Location: Fort Walton Beach, Florida
hmmm....1 post...
smells like baiting to me.... :?

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 6:30 am 
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yes my new boat is fine and hobie had great customer service...i know a lot of serious kayak fisherman who own hobies and even with the new hulls getting mysterious cracks in the hulls and some serious problems with the drives...ok ok i guess i could have worded it nicer and maybe i wasn't in the best of moods but still we pay a lot of money for these kayaks and use them against strong current for hours and hours at a time and in rough conditions. Just thought maybe they should toughen them up a bit. and Synovis yeah 1 post because i signed up to see if there are other people having as many problems as the people i know with hobies. NOT BAITING ANYONE


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 3:20 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
Hummm? Serious problem with a drive? Thats pretty broad. What sort of issue are we talking about? Not that much goes wrong with these things. Usually easily corrected.

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Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 5:31 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:14 am
Posts: 42
I know what we call something that smells like this in South Georgia :D


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 6:06 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:14 am
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By the way, I think the boats are so crappy that I am buying a Revolution tomorrow to go with my Pro Angler. I just love wasting my money on junk... :lol:


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 7:57 am 
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Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:53 pm
Posts: 395
Location: S.E. Florida
Tybee,

You got that right .... my revolution was so baaaaad I bought another one. Now I have TWO oh my.

Honestly the boats are built tough and Hobie backs their product like none I have seen. My first revolution is now 2 years old and not a single problem with it. The second was the last '08 my dealer had and got a deal on it and it has been flawless for a year now. GREAT PRODUCT! Could there be a lemon in the bunch .. always a possibility .. but Hobie will make it right for sure.

Thanks Hobie for a great fun watercraft.

Revo

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 8:23 am 
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Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:18 pm
Posts: 89
Location: Long Island, NY
The same author said this on a different website a couple of months ago:



"But if you want to primarily fish from a kayak def go with a sit on top kayak from ocean kayaks, wilderness systems or the ultimate fishing kayak a Hobie peddle drive kayak(around $1,800) but well worth the price for hands free fishing. I started out in a sit in kayak caught many many fish in it but after a few hours you get uncomfortable, now i have the hobie outback and i have fished in it for 9 hours comfortably. With the hobies you can slow troll(which is the best way to get into fish) and cast at the same time all while your legs do the work of propulsion. "

Recommending Hobies one minute, bashing them the next. Schizophrenia?


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:02 am 
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you are all very helpful thanks :roll: ...i do love my hobie and it is the ultimate fishing kayak all i was wondering was why they aren't made to take more abuse. I already said that maybe my first post was a little angry. I apologize to Hobie for maybe getting a little heated. A few of my friends had the pins on the drive where you adjust the foot placement strip right through the holes. I don't believe i really bashed anything maybe using some words like crappy could have been avoided but i already basically apologized for that. And a few guys with brand new hulls are still getting mysterious cracks in them. One guy on a fishing site said he went through 3 hulls and is now switching back to a paddle type kayak. I belong to a kayak fishing club and many members have the same questions i do. So go ahead and ignore these problems and continue with the sarcastic useless comments. I have energetically promoted hobies to people interested in kayak fishing and most likely will advise people to hobies for fishing in the future. I just think they need to be toughened up a bit. A lot of people including myself are on a tight budget and we scrimp and save to get a kayak like this, it would just be nice to feel secure in your purchase.


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:41 am 
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Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:07 pm
Posts: 1041
Location: Ontario, Canada
It's too bad that you received so many sarcastic comments back, but I think the reality is that when these boats are compared to any other similarly made boats, they're at least equal to, and often times better then competitor's boats.

I think many people here feel that your original title, "why are hobie kayaks made so crappy" just isn't an accurate representation of the boats that we have all bought.

As far as Hobie making constant improvements to their quality, I think if you look at the history of these products, (both the hulls, and the mirage drive system) you will see that Hobie actually does continue to improve their products just as you would like them to. They noticed issues with Hulls that needed to be improved, and they addressed those issues, they've noticed issues with the Version 1 mirage drive, and came out with the Version 2 mirage drive.

Are the boats at a stage where they can't be improved any more? No. But history shows that Hobie is doing exactly what you want them to do. They take a look at areas that can be improved, and they address those areas.

So I think it's unfair to say that Hobie kayaks are "made crappy" and I think it's also unfair to say that they're not working to improve the quality, because they have been.

If you are looking for ways to get other users to help you with any issues that you have, these forums are great for that, however if you're just going to come on with a title saying that these boats are crappy, people don't have much to say to that, so you'll end up with sarcastic comments.

In the future, if you have an issue, feel free to post it, and see what other users have done to address those issues. Things like Hull's cracking are very rare occurrences and Hobie's system of dealing with such situations involve going to a dealer. If you know people with the hull, or mirage drive issues that you mention, please make sure they go to a dealer so that they no longer have to deal with faulty pieces.

I hope that helps answer the questions that I think you were trying to ask.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:25 am 
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thank you augaug...i am very sorry for coming off as hateful. As i said before i do love the product. I guess it just comes down to think before you type or maybe just wait till i am in a better mood lol i have had nothing but praise for these kayaks i have been going through a rough time and seeing my buddies with the problems they have been having along with my own hobie related problems i guess i just got a little heated. Again thanks and sorry for the bad comments i made. Next time(and i hope there isnt one :wink: ) i will inquire with a little more tact.


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:26 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:18 pm
Posts: 89
Location: Long Island, NY
Well said, Augaug. I think that "crappy" title set us all off before we even read the post. :twisted:


Denw- Keep loving your Hobie. From what I've seen in your posts on that "other website" you get a lot of fish in your boat. If I see you out there I'd like to shake your hand. :) I only wish I got as many bass as you do! :(


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:35 pm 
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Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:26 am
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thanks damfisher although lately i have not been doing to well lol


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