Brand new AI - cracked rudder up/down hole support in hull

My brand new AI was delivered to me on Friday (see also https://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=52305#p239671). I Still haven't attached the rudder, and while doing a visual inspection of the hull topsides I noticed 2 small cracks around the starboard side hole for the rudder up down line (one at one o'clock, the other at 3 o,clock). I can push the hull in between the 2 cracks in the photo below around the starboard side hole with my fingernail,, which makes me think that at best the hull will leak here, and at worst the outer tube will come away from its housing:



Personally, I think this is reason enough for Hobie to replace my hull, but before I talk to my dealer, I'd like to know what the consensus is here among users/moderators (Matt?).

While I was at it, I thought I'd check the inside: Edit from 30 July: at first I thought there was a crack on the inside, but it was just swarf, so I've edited this post accordingly

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Simon

Personally, I would go to the dealer with your concerns and wouldn't wait around for a concensus.
But, if it makes you feel better, tell him that Salty Dawg told you to do it.

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Thanks for the advice - I've since emailed the dealer.

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Simon

Update: My dealer says he'll inform Hobie and they will decide whether this issue warrants a replacement hull or not

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Simon

That area is a good candidate for plastic welding and should be fine afterwards. However, doing this does take some skill and/or practice if you want the repair to restore the hull to proper condition.

I'd be worried that if I did plastic welding on the outside it'd look ugly and reduce the resale value, while for the inside, where the crack is longer, I can't reach it

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Simon

And that's certainly possible. So I can understand that such a repair might not be for you. Just something I was tossing out there.

Just a quick update on this...
I managed to get a smaller camera with a flash deeper into the hull to get a better close up shot of what earlier seemed to be an internal crack, and it's not, I was wrong, it's just swarf. I'm sorry to have misrepresented this and have edited my earlier posting to correct it (I've emailed my dealer already). Here's a photo of it after I moved it with my finger tips


The external small cracks I reported earlier in this thread are however very real and I'm waiting for Hobie Europe to get back to my dealer on this issue.
Matt made the following suggestion for what I could do about this (http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=52305#p239940)
"You could goop the inside of the tube exit point. That would strengthen and leak proof the area"
While I very much appreciate the suggestion, I have 3 concerns with this solution..
1. It's very hard for me to even get at the hole from the inside as it's at arm's length and I can't see what I'm doing at the same time, so I have my doubts about being able to apply an effective structural "goop" type solution to that area.
2. How would a structural"goop" type solution effect the serviceability of the rudder line tubes? Obviously I'd still need to remove them and insert new ones if/when a cable breaks, and it seems to me that this solution would lock the cables in place.
3. I have enormous respect for your valuable contributions to this forum, Matt, but I have to say that I really don't feel I should have to be the one who has to remedy this issue on a brand new, just unwrapped hull

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Simon

GOOP is somewhat unique in that it's very tenacious when it comes to sticking to things, and will effectively seal most small cracks from leaking, but you can, with some effort, pull a GOOP joined assembly apart without damage to anything, usually.

Thank you.

This is a suggestion and not one made as an official response to your issue... just a possible fix.

I am not the person deciding that this is... or is not a warranty issue or maybe freight damaged. That would be through normal channels... your dealer to Hobie Kayak Europe.

Goop inside the hull at the tube exit point would be around the tubes... the lines run within them.

Fyi... I think the damage looks very minor / cosmetic, so maybe the goop isn't even required since you discovered that it is not cracked.

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

The.conclusion to all this was that Hobie Europe agreed to provide me with a plastic welder free of charge to enable me to fix the 2 small external cracks around the rudder up/down tube support hole.
Looking through erlier threads I see that this is not an isolated issue and that it appears that the housing on models from 2011 on is a weak point
This from an earlier posting (http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=34794&hilit=Adventure+drive+storage&start=30#p141336)
"I have noticed that in 2011 models, the rudder lines are more likely to result in a leak. As previously mentioned, I have been observing the small central end cap plug breaking free from it's housing, and it often appears the very moment I unwrap the kayak and inspect the function of rudder lines. I'm fairly positive the extra tension from the new rudder up/down system is the culprit"
"I have also noticed that at least 1 in every 2 AIs I unpack will have small gaps around the edges of the end cap, and as small as they may be, almost certainly leak. AI owners know full well the stern is very low and often submerged momentarily. The rudder lines really are a suspect area that need attention, often as soon as they're unpacked. In fact I'm actually sealing up a brand-spanker this morning. I'll post a photo later to demonstrate how I get around it"

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Simon