mmiller wrote:
we do warn and notify of the issue of potential cart damage.
I've pretty much read the manual that came with my boat cover to cover. Also, when I bought my cart, the only thing I received with it was an allen wrench. Nowhere have I seen such a warning. I'd like to know where this warning and notification is. Was anyone else notified of these potential problems when they bought their carts? I'm told I'm a bit anal with taking care of my boat (guess not enough) so if I was warned I would have been extra careful using this cart. So Hobie, in the future, please attach some type of warning to the carts to notify the purchaser that these carts can cause permanent damage to your boat which will void any warranty. In addition, include instructions telling people the proper way to use these and warning them of the incorrect method of using them and possible ramifications of using them in such a way.
mmiller wrote:
No... not the first time. We are looking at ways to reinforce these areas better. Scuppers and scupper cart problems are a known in the kayak industry.
This is even worse! If it's a known issue, again why are you selling a product that is known to cause catastrophic damage without any warning? I'm really thankful I was close to shore when this happened.
A known weak point of the boat that can cause it to sink should be at the top of your to do list. This does not seem like it's that difficult of a fix. Forget about trying to mold the plastic thicker in this area, which may be difficult, something as simple as others have suggested here such as placing PVC or HDPE pipe reinforcement either in the inside or outside of the hole would be a significant improvement.
mmiller wrote:
This is not a problem with "fit for the purpose for which they are intended". Scuppers are drains and function as such.
If this is the case, why sell a cart that you know can and has caused significant damage? If this was an aftermarket part sold by a separate company, then I'd understand...use at your own risk. However, this is a product with Hobie's name attached, and one I trusted had been tested and found suitable for use without causing any major issues. If there were known issues, then again, where's the warning label?
If Hobie's stance is such that their products are "fit for the purpose for which they are intended," should I be concerned about other Hobie parts for my boat? Should I be concerned about trampolines because the akas are only intended to support the amas? Is there a defined way of how the trampolines are intended to be sat on, because the intended purpose of the akas is only to support the amas? I'd be concerned now. Also, I cycle and like to keep my pedaling cadence around 70-80 rpm. Now I'm worried that the Mirage Drive may only have been designed for a cadence of up to 30 rpm. I won't even get into the fact that these have the turbo fins that cause even more stress....maybe I should only pedal at 20 rpm. How do I know what the product I bought from Hobie is really intended to do and how I'm supposed to use it? I really worry now after that statement from Matt.
mmiller wrote:
Care must be taken as would be the case with countless other products in specific situations.
I agree, the user has to be accountable as well. With all this being said, I'll even say it's not Hobie's fault this happened. However, if you have a known issue where this has happened before, and this could be exacerbated by the heaviest kayak you've ever manufactured, then maybe you shouldn't say this is entirely user error.
I have enjoyed this boat, but I have had my share of troubles in a very short time period which is really testing me. It all started with the boat that wouldn't turn properly that I was told time and again that I wasn't tensioning the down line properly, causing much frustration outing after outing while on the water and almost causing at least one major collision; the rudder coming off due to the mounting screw; the steering line breaking; loosing screws out of the mast receptacle; severely frayed mainsheet; and now this. Yes, these have all happened to me. Oh, and don't forget the numerous missing parts Hobie had to ship me separately after I initially took delivery of the boat. I had to figure out for myself that I must be missing parts since as it turned out one of the missing parts was the owner's manual.
I really appreciate Hobie doing what they have so far to try to correct issues. Other companies would not have done as much as Hobie has already done. However, it still remains that this has been one of my most frustrating purchases ever, especially given it wasn't even a used product.
Hopefully, the scupper holes will be successfully repaired (without Hobie's assistance) and I can forget all this ever happened, and eventually be as excited about going out in this boat as I was the first day I brought it home.