PA 14 electric motor maximum capacity

That’s great but you would think a leader in the industry would straighten out the confusion before putting it on their yaks and causing problems in the yakin industry ........ and then defending the wrong information.

With that logic... we should place a 3 HP limit on the sticker?

We will do what we think is right for the product to be safe. That same goes for capacity. It is up to manufacturers to determine what is best for their products.

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

Thank you for your heads up on the new sticker, Matt! Is there any chance that new maximum capacity specification of 1100 watts will also make it to the Tandem Island sticker?

Well it was Hobie’s posting the max that was incorrect that caused a lot of concerns for tournament fisherman and others wondering if they could use the new engines on their Hobie’s. There was alot of concern by many on different forums. Then there was you defending it then reversing your position.

I really don’t understand your reply, “ We are still way below what NMMA says in max (3 hp for kayaks). That would be double what we are likely to put on "our" sticker.” Seems like you are saying that you still won’t be putting the correct maximum on your stickers.

Thanks for the input and updates
Locally Kayak tournament groups are against motors. How they are are mounted as well as power (lbs hp watts) are a smoke screen for not wanting then used in tournaments.

Matt Thanks to Hobie for staying the conversation and helping.

another manufacturer announced a new electric powered kayak for fishing, has conversations going with a lot of emotion.

I am extremely happy with my 40 lb mounted on the side and still having my drive to use. ( paddle as backup)

I'm not the decisionmaker on this, but I have passed along the concerns. My early information came from our factory manager and it seems our engineers placed the low wattage limit to meet the 403 to limit possible damage to the boats.

As noted, after engineering reviewed the standards again and the 1103 mounting system, it looks like they will change it to fit the new Torqeedo 1103. But they will not be listing what appears to be a 3hp (2237 watts) limit that is provided by the NMMA guidelines. Again, I'm sure to limit possible damage to the hulls. If we say it can take it... people will and will blame us for failures.

Not clear if this all translates to the Islands or other models. If I find out, I will let you know.

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

Sooooo you went to a factory manager to for an official response on an important engineering question ......... That is after you gave a response without checking and then coming back with an “official” Hobie response which we find out now was from a factory manager. Well thanks for finally getting the Official answer ........ hopefully.

I am sorry I was unable to answer your question without research. As the issue is not yet settled, it is impossible to give you the exact answer you desire.

By the way... The factory manager (full title is Vice President of Manufacturing) was the one who deals with NMMA and Coast Guard compliance. So he was the one who had the info. He then handed the documentation to engineers for review... if that helps.

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

It’s what is to be expected with Hobie ......... this kind of stuff just seems to happen more often then other places. That said, thanks for the update and I’m really glad they are making a serious effort to get it right. I still LOVE my PA.

Not sure why you continue to slam the company and my efforts. Not even sure why you are so upset with us over the HP rating. It doesn't make any sense. Glad you like your PA though.

I do see a scheduled meeting to discuss the change as of model year 2021.

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

It makes plenty of sense brother. Please look at the posts and responses over the years. Hobie has continually produced products that were poorly manufactured and then you guys do little to make things right and you seem more interested in providing corporate service than customer service ........... and it happens over and over and over. I praise you when there are great things done and I will point out when they are not.

These problems go on and on and on with Hobie stuff. It was the same with the covers, the scupper trolley, the Baitwells, a rear mount for the evolve on a PA and others. Please check out the posts.

I have promoted and sold many people on the Hobie and their products over the years. I am retired with money to buy what I want when I want but now I will only buy used and proven items or new only after a year or so on the market to be sure that the product is viable. This is because of the frustration in dealing with Hobie.

I keep hoping Hobie will produce products that are well built and well tested so I can very happily promote and buy Hobie products more.

Oh ......... and this is not slamming in my opinion. Slamming is much worse and posted on many forums which is not what a I’ve done.

Yes, we have had a number of issues along the way. I never deny that we have had problems, but we always try to make things right. We have built and sold a unique kayak product for over 2 decades. Innovation is our thing and many changes have been made to improve them over the years. Most people here know that. You can't compare what we do to other paddle kayak companies... although many other companies have had plenty of production issues.

Rest assured, the product testing we do is severe, but you can't replicate everything that is done to a product in the field. It is also difficult to predict issues that will come up during production. As well, what changes might happen to parts in supply lines. Changes from sample parts or years of good supply can happen due to materials, process and tooling wear.

It's not an easy business for sure... art and science.

Rest assured that upper management is focusing a LOT of attention on all of these issues.

Yes, I remember all about your issues with

Your cover was purchased as a universal fit... You are frustrated that we would not exchange that cover for a new custom-fit version we came out with a few years later.

Scupper cart welds? We worked hard with the cart vendor to improve their welds and current carts are pretty nice. We did not design the carts. We replaced a lot of frames through warranty though. Most of the failures we saw (a very small percentage of the carts we sold) came well after the one-year warranty had expired. Issues that crop up over time are difficult to correct completely as lots of product gets out there... there are stock pipelines that have to work through the market. They were never considered defective. Just not as robust as some users demanded due to rough terrain and heavy loads... and LOTS of use.

LiveWells had some issues with switches... not a testing issue. This was an offshore vendor production issue that cropped up after delivery and use. The innovative magnet/reed switch was compromised when the glass tube on some cracked. These would test well when new. The reeds inside would corrode because the cracked glass tube was holding an inert gas to inhibit the corrosion of the reeds. The reeds would stick together or not make contact at times. Difficult to diagnose because disassembly of a switch would crack the tubes. We ultimately had them x-rayed and discovered the issue. All good now and all switches were replaced free.

All these issues developed over time. Early diagnoses are often difficult, so the story changes over time. That is just a fact of life.

I still don't get your angle on the watt limit. Not a mistake. Not a denial. Simply a decision made years ago to prevent damage to the drive wells.

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

You see Matt ......... this is EXACTLY what I am talking about. You take NO responsibility for the products you produce and sell regardless of who actually produced them. Hobie picked the design and manufacturer, even print Hobie’s name on it and sold the products thru their dealers etc. When problems occur, you do not take responsibility for the problems but just say it is not your problem but the problem of the manufacturer. Like with the $500 in covers I bought and were listed on the Hobie site as the cover for my PA that didn’t fit. You Matt, said it wasn’t Hobie’s responsibility and referred me to the Manufacturer for me to work out a solution. When you came out with the new cover, you would not offer any discount or relief to anyone that was adversely affected by the false advertising. When the scupper carts kept breaking because they were only tack welded and would not hold up to the weight of a PA, you first suggested that the customer find a welder until Hobie finally offered an exchange for a used welded one that you had to make long drives to the dealer to make the exchange. This is what you think is customer service. This is corporate service NOT customer service. You will argue time the endth degree instead of taking care of the concern. Yes, I was frustrated to the point where I will not be hoodwinked by you again. There are many many others just like me.

The guy that recently posted in the thread “sure feels lonely here” also had problems and noticed poor workmanship was told it was not Hobie’s responsibility and Hobie just distributes them. This guy bought the cover from Hobie and probably has the Hobie logo and Hobie profited from the sale. In what world would this not be a Hobie product. In what world would Hobie not be responsible. Your attitude is the profits stop here but the responsibility stops elsewhere. This drives customers away because they can’t trust the products or the service.

The problem is that your attitude makes it very hard to trust Hobie and the products. It makes people think twice after being burned more than once and have to hear from you that Hobie is not responsible and have to drive long distances to dealers to hopefully get satisfaction.

Matt ...... I’m the customer you want. I can pay cash for anything you have at any time and not blink an eye. I also like to praise the company and product to others but you make that very hard to do.

I am having a hassle with local clubs need a document to prove my 40LB thurst meets manufacturer limit(minnkota)
The also saying must be in the same place as peddle
? I have mine mounted on the side
I know many have on front or back having similar issue HELP

Have 2015 PA14