Testing older AI for seaworthiness.

I have an '07 that I'm looking to use for trolling off the East Central Florida coast this spring-fall. The hulls/ pontoons are in very good condition, and it has fairly new rudder/ lines. My concern is the crossmember and 'akas.' There is considerable play at the pin, corrosion where the crossmembers are bolted to the hull, and surface pitting throughout the aka bars.

I've sailed it on a local lake in winds shy of 20 mph, barely submerging each ama, and didn't break or fold anything, but this can't replicate ocean wave action against the system in conjunction with a good wind.

Suggestions? What have some of you all done to maintain seaworthiness as your kayaks get a little 'long in the tooth?'

I think the greatest danger is that one of your akas may break. If that happens when you are 1-2 miles of the coast, you have a major problem. Could you consider buying a new pair of akas?

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

According to my Hobie 2018 parts catalog, they don't offer pre-2011 (v1) akas.

One thought is to wrap (or spiral wrap to better follow the contour) them in fiberglass/epoxy. This should add strength and still allow them to flex so as not to transfer stress to other parts. Maybe scab some reinforcing aluminum plates in the pin areas.

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic. ... 67&p=75628
https://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/view ... 75&t=42283

I wouldn’t be too concerned about surface pitting as the bars are pretty thick but the corrosion at the x-bar hull fixing brackets should be checked by removing them if possible.

Also check:
-the V-Brace socket screw has been replaced with the stronger slotted head version.
https://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/view ... 1&p=162740

-the brace bar is tethered to the aka. It was possible on the early models for the brace bar pin to break and lose the brace bar overboard. Kayaking Bob came up with an easy fix.
https://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/view ... 71&t=11745

-for cracking at the forward x-bar/mast bearing plate

-drivewell forward ledge cracks

The reason I mention the aka breaking is that there are many of the first AIs out there still in use. Many of them do have akas corroded both outside and inside. In my opinion, there are going to be akas on these early AIs breaking. Last year during the 2017 WaterTribe Everglades Challenge, CaptGnarly broke an aka and repaired it while traveling along coastal everglades on the Gulf of Mexico. You can read about it here: https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7276&start=960 Scroll down on that page. This year at the start of the 2018 Everglades Challenge I asked CaptGnarly how it happened. He said he was on a reach and the windward aka broke from the up/down jostling of the airborne aka/ama. He had anticipated the possibility and actually had prepared a wood insert to fit inside the broken aka tube.

In any case, I think we will see more and more of these early akas breaking.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Good point Keith.
I was trying to remember if any bars had actually broken other than in surf mishaps.
It’s rare, but I’d forgotten about that post.
2007 is a very early model and I agree, as these craft age more of those problems are likely to appear.
It was interesting going back over those earlier posts seeing just how much these boats have evolved ...and yet the brace bar pin remains unchanged.

Thanks for the links and input, guys.

It was that very EC article that I came across recently which woke me out of unquestioning confidence in the system. The picture of the broken bar showed very thin metal and got me to thinking if that’s what mine looked like, and how could I test/ prevent it. The noisy clicking and jarring from the knuckle joints every time a boat wake beamed me this past weekend brought the need into clearer focus.