Metal Jacket for the mirage drivewell

Unfortunately I am into the drivewell leak problem. After searching in this forum i realized it's a "famous" and tremendous problem and most comments are "change the hull". Change the hull for a small crack in the wrong place... isnt's a very smart solution.
I wonder if the other people who had the same problem solved it in any way different from getting a new hull.

My question is is any of you ever thought to make an "armour" or metal jacket to the drive well. It could be fixed under the click and go clatches and could have 2 small metal platforms in the 2 points where the drive now is pressing againt the plastic.
i think this should also be an improvement for Hobie, cause the drivewell leak is becoming a famous weakness point for all the mirage drive powered hulls.

what do you think about it?

Not that I’m aware of SI. It’s an interesting and innovative idea.
There has been discussion on a replaceable drivewell way back in 2011, which you may find helpful here: https://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/view ... 75&t=35131
The relevant discussion begins with my comments on page 3.

Have you sent pics of your drivewell crack to Hobie? A drivewell crack in a 14 TI is unusual. The rotomolding process is not perfect and faults can occur. It would be worthwhile getting it properly assessed to see if it is a manufacturing defect.

this is how everything started.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=137-9p1Czi6JsUkPwT9b6wXtNopwjtXVD

now the situation is worse

That looks more like a hole in the forward wall than a crack in the ledge? Maybe the drive was not properly mounted in the well and was forced forward upon pedaling. The spine may have pierced the forward wall where it should never come in contact under normal use.

Cracks in the drive well are not a common issue and have not been much of an issue at all for many years. The original problem started back in the late 2000's with the introduction of Turbo fins. We corrected the problem by reinforcing the ledge area and closely monitoring the plastics quality. Newer boats very rarely have the original ledge type crack appear.

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Matt Miller
Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA