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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 1:37 pm 
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My first Hobie was a Revolution 11 and I was so satisfied with the experience I bought a Outback and an Evolve motor to complement it. I was so happy with them and the quality of genuine Hobie parts I naturally I upgraded to a 2013 Pro Angler 14.

The ownership experience has been all down hill. First, I only used the PA14 a couple of times and the vantage seat malfunctioned, fraying the cord. Took it to the dealer and the cord is not covered under warranty and costs a lot to replace.

Next the Hobie branded GearTrac Screwball 1.5" failed after only 5 outings. I had a Ram Tube 2008 mounted to it only for holding the rod when I'm unhooking a fish, not for trolling so it really doesn't see any wear. The Screw Ball is made of [I think] hard rubber and the inside that holds the screw receiver crumbled causing the receiver to come out. I just replaced it, will see how long the new one lasts.

Finally the vantage seat malfunctioned again. This time the seat fell straight to the hull. The cord the holds the seat in place came off the left side. The end of the cord has a little loop that goes over a screw eye.. the cord loop no longer sits tight and slips off.

I know times are tough but at 3K for the PA14, you think they'd warranty the cord from damage caused by malfunction. The screwball incident is just another frustration. If the new one fails also then my investment in the Hobie GearTrac system is also a complete loss.. I'm not going to fork out $18 every couple of weeks for a new screwball.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:13 pm 
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DoubleOSeven....sorry to hear about your problems....I too have 2013 PA-14 and have used it many times since taking delivery in July....it replaced a 2010 Outback.....and for me, the PA-14 is a superior kayak for fishing.
I can't speak about the screwball failure since I have a 1" Ram ball mount for my Humminbird fish finder and use a Scotty rod holder, flush mount socket base and extension arms.....no problem.

Re the seat nylon line....I don't know why you should have been required to pay for another line as the kayak has a 2 year warranty for the hull and all components.....that would be the seat too....I would appeal to Hobie about the seat issue and the screwball failure.

Since the nylon line loop can stretch, I would suggest that once the "loop end" of the line is placed over the eyelet post fitting, use a small tie wrap to cinch/tighten up the loop so it won't slip off the fitting.....the only time my line has come off is, on occasion, when I raise the seat bottom to remove a tackle box from under the seat.

Good Luck!

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:19 pm 
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Location: Bluegrass Region of Central KY
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If the supporting cordage isn't covered under warranty, I may have to wait a while and see how they hold up over time.


I hope your dealer is mistaken about the warranty. This just doesn't sound like a Hobie experience. I would either contact Hobie directly or PM Matt Miller on this forum. But if Hobie confirms the dealer's statement, I need to rethink my desire to sell my 2011 PA14 to buy a 2013 or 2014 PA14. The primary reason being to upgrade to the Vantage seat. I've had multiple back surgeries and while the demo ride was definitely more comfortable than my 2011, I was suspicious of the design of the Vantage seat's support. If the supporting cordage isn't covered under warranty, I may have to wait a while and see how they hold up over time.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:27 am 
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Location: Oceanside, California
Seat issues should be covered by warranty unless obviously a consumer error of some kind. The dealer should at least file a claim for it if they have not yet done so.

Gear tracks and Screw balls are not Hobie branded product. They are made by Yakattack and the screwball uses a RAM ball. I would contact Yackattack direct to voice your concerns on that.

http://yakattack.us/

[email protected]

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Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:40 am 
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Location: Oceanside, California
Quote:
If the supporting cordage isn't covered under warranty, I may have to wait a while and see how they hold up over time.


Spectra is very durable and VERY, VERY strong. Breaking strength on this line is about 2,000 pounds.

The loop is intended to come off the peg when you want to flip the seat up to stand in the area. You have to reattach and be sure the line routs back onto the control handle when seating back down.

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


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 12:43 pm 
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Location: Bluegrass Region of Central KY
Thank you, Matt. You've confirmed what I hoped and suspected - that it's covered under warranty unless the consumer has does something outside of normal use to create the problem. I'm familiar with Spectra and it's abrasion resistance and high breaking strength. It should perform well for sometime as long as it doesn't come in contact with an errant filet knife.

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:32 pm 
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mmiller wrote:
Seat issues should be covered by warranty unless obviously a consumer error of some kind. The dealer should at least file a claim for it if they have not yet done so.

Gear tracks and Screw balls are not Hobie branded product. They are made by Yakattack and the screwball uses a RAM ball. I would contact Yackattack direct to voice your concerns on that.

http://yakattack.us/

[email protected]


Matt,

The root cause of the problem was the line got tangled in the spring assembly on my second or third outing on the PA. When the dealer untangled it, we found the line had frayed. The dealer said it is not covered under warranty because it's wear and tear from improper use. I don't see how this could be my fault.. it's not like it came with instructions saying I needed to manually guide the line to avoid it going into the spring. Truth be told I probably wouldn't have had a second though of the matter if the replacement cable was $12, but actual cost is enraging.

As for the loop issue, thanks for clarifying as I did not know if was meant to come off. It's also the first time it's ever come off since I owned it.

Even though it was only $18, I'm a bit sour about the screwball failing so quickly as I'm sure others would be too. The GearTrac and accessories are labeled Hobie on the packaging and can be found in the 2013 Hobie Summer Catalog. I don't doubt Hobie is just reselling third party items using Hobie brand name on the packaging; but doing so makes it a Hobie branded product. So I'm voicing my quality concerns in the right place though effectively it looks like a mute point.

The title of the thread stands true for me. The only good news is I may not need to change the line today since the loop is supposed to come off.. thank you for that as I thought my fishing trip this weekend was blown.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 9:24 am 
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DoubleOSeven wrote:
Truth be told I probably wouldn't have had a second though of the matter if the replacement cable was $12, but actual cost is enraging.


Contact your dealer for a credit on that. There is certainly an error in the costing system on that part. Not sure what the issue was.

84507561 BOTTOM CONTROL LINE - VANTAGE Price corrected to $10.99

84507551 BACK CONTROL LINE - VANTAGE Price corrected to $9.99

Your dealer can contact our parts department for a credit.

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


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 6:32 pm 
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Quote:
Contact your dealer for a credit on that. There is certainly an error in the costing system on that part. Not sure what the issue was.

84507561 BOTTOM CONTROL LINE - VANTAGE Price corrected to $10.99

84507551 BACK CONTROL LINE - VANTAGE Price corrected to $9.99

Your dealer can contact our parts department for a credit.


Thanks for sharing. That a very reasonable cost.


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