Another Hobie drive well Crack
 

I have an older outback which has a cracked drive well area. All research has pointed to call your local dealer to check warranty.

Called OEX they were very helpful in getting the info over to hobie. Even though my Yak was 5 years out of warranty they did offer a new hull for prorated rate of $750. Unfortunately thats just way out of budget right now.

Anyone have any good ideas for repair? I tried some marine grade epoxy solution which worked for about 2 hours on the water then started leaking again.

stress fractures, can't be fixed!

I guess going to School to work on airplanes is finally going to pay off:luxhello::luxhello::luxhello::luxhello:
Now this method is actually used to temporarily fix acrylic windows on fixed wing aircraft's.

Now try this!
Take a small drill bit (8/32" or so) and drill the ends of the cracks. Make sure you use a strong light under your kayak so you can see were exactly the crack ends. It wont hurt if you go bigger on the hole. This will stop the crack from spreading more through your yak.
Now start drilling hole's about 1/2'' away from the crack on both sides. Use wire/fishing wire and start threading as if you were sewing. Don't go to light on the wire or it will start to cut through the plastic. Also when your threading it make sure it's slightly tight but not to tight.
This will help the crack from not opening under pressure. That's why the epoxy only worked from a few hours.
And that's pretty much it on that. Now you want to use your epoxy and cover the hole's and the sewing you did.
Make sure before you start this whole process to prep the surfs in which you will be working on.

I added this photo so you get a better under standing.

http://i53.tinypic.com/1g2nt2.jpg

1/4" hole?

The Stop drill at the end of the crack isn't super critical on the size, more important is that you drill Right through the end of the crack, you don't want to give the crack an easy place to start again. I am also an Aircraft Mechanic. You might be suprised how many helicopters are flying now with my Stop drill patches... ha ha

Does Hobie want the Kayak back? Maybe you can fix it... Sell it with full disclosure, and buy a new boat?

Not only your Helicopters!:sifone::sifone:

SO YOUR THAT GUY. :eek: I work as a quality inspector / FAA repair station Rep.I keep seeing Holes drilled on thrust reverser flaps.

Only Thrust Reversers I worked on were GulfStreams... and only G IV and G V at that.

Those would be the green ones,Although by the time you see them they are brown and black. :D

Just trying to learn more about patching up kayaks, so please excuse my stupid questions.

How can you tell if this is a stress fracture? And how is it different than any other types of crack?

And why is it that you can't just smear some marine goop on it to stop the leak?

The Stress that caused the crack, is going to keep putting stress on the area... So you are only doing a very temporary fix in all reality. But should last you till you can save for that new hull...

Imagine you hit your kayak when it was cold with a hammer and it cracked... One time event maybe it would be in an area that doesn't see much moving around.... You wouldn't be worried about stress on that crack.

Think of a plastic spoon. If you bend the handle back and forth over and over again it will crack. hence a stress crack. Goop while plyable does not have the tensile strength to stand up to the stress of a flexing hull.You need to effectively stop the crack, as Phatford mentioned by drilling at the end of it then filling it with something that can withstand the regors of kayaking, Like loc tite 404.

I see. Thank you for the explaination.

So the repair for a stress crack needs to end up even stronger than the original plastic right?

Is it safe to assume that there is no way Marine Goop or 3M 5200 can be applied in a way that it is as strong or stronger than the original plastic?

This might work for you. Get a roll of fiberglass about 3" wide and wrap the whole tunel put on the resin and make sure it is a tight wrap, then after all is dry use 5200 over the crack to try and seal it. Just might work and it will reinforce the whole area around the drive unit.

Just my two cents.

Run the kayak thru a shredder and send it back to Hobie and have them melt it down, and put it back in the Roto Mold....:biggrinjester:
Problem solved..... :D

Let me clarify my above statement, a stress fracture can not be fixed ! No matter how many bolts and glues you use, plastic is not metal......:rolleyes: .

Its not gonna work, be safe
 

Those pedal brackets take a huge load and will continue to open even if you goop it, 5200 it, or whatever , it. You cannot effectively melt it back in shape A local kayak store "fixed" a stress crack in an old hobie of mine, and then loaned the boat to an old guy I was fishing with. His ass sank not too far off scripps pier thank god. We recovered him and the boat but it aint a good place to be.

You really dont want to discover a much bigger problem when you are out on the water and find you are loading up on water. Ive done it, and its a really bad spot to be in.

Good luck.
Chris

Void warranty?
 

I'm thinking that if you drill any holes adjacent to that stress crack you will void the manufacture's warranty, so think about it before you do it. Also the $750 for a new hull in place of you 5+ year old hull is cheap.

Thanks for the ideas. Here is the outside view of the hull which has the crack.

Its a pretty tight area to work with. Looks like I'll have to save some cash. In the mean time duct tape on the area seems to slow things down a lot.

My pump will remain at my side at all times.:(

Fill the inside with foam and go fishin. Just do it slowly.

LOL

A crack in that area of the drive well means the end of that kayak's life.

Its time for a new kayak.

I still think it's worth a try to patch it up. If you can patch a plane/helicopter that is under thousands pounds of pressure I don't see why not patch a kayak.
You have nothing to lose. patch it up try it in the harbor if it works then your good to go. If it fails then the shredder it is.
At least if it fails your not falling from 30,000 feet :D:D

Which ever way you go good luck!

I'll tell you straight away that I don't think you can make a successful repair to make the kayak seaworthy..... but if you are hell bent on trying and don't mind wasting some time - here are some reference materials that should help. Give it your best shot - you may not be falling 30,000 feet from the sky - but you can certainly sink 2000 ft. in La jolla. :)

Back in the day Hobie Adventures and Outback models had a weak area in the Drive Well. The same exact area you have your stress crack. If you had frequented BWE or any of the Hobie Forums you would have heard about the problem and would have received a Free Hobie Drive Well Reinforcement Kit which solved the problem nicely if it were installed prior to any stress crack development. You also would have received an additional (2) years of warranty on the hull - with proration after that.

I installed the kit and used my Adventure weekly in La Jolla for an additional 2 years without any incident - (its still working fine to this day)
-However if you got The Crack - the kayak was done.

So here what happens.
This is a pic of the unreinforced drivewell that was prone to cracking.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7...D720/ry%3D480/

This is a pic of a factory reinforced drivewell that solved the problem.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7...D720/ry%3D480/

This is a Hobie Drivewell Reinforcement Kit - a piece of Fiberglass that provided structural support to the weight bearing area. the front of the drivewell.

As with anything - preparation is key.
My reinforced drivewell.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8...D720/ry%3D480/

This is some other guys kayak from the Hobie Forum His repair didn't go so good because he waited until the drive well had already cracked. Notice the support member that cracked in addition to the drive well area. He thought Goop would fix the problem.
-As Borat would say "Not Soo Good"
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7...D720/ry%3D480/

The $750 prorated warranty is a bunch of shit since that is obviously a design flaw / manufacture defect. Hobie is aware of this. ;);)
If you are the original owner I would deal directly with Hobie and get a FREE replacement....I would not settle for anything less.

Like others said...your boat with the crack is now trash. I wouldn't even bother with a repair attempt. :banghead: $.02

Please keep us updated.

Couldn't have said this any better! I 100% agree!:cheers1::cheers1:

CaboJohn I felt the same way, I did go stright to hobie at first but then they sent me to a dealer.

Im thinking of going stright to hobie again. This guy said he would help me out if hobie doesnt replace it.

No wonder I have a fear of flying!! ahrrr:eek:

I can tell you for certain that it can be welded, I have a rental Outback that I have repaired. Will it last forever..........I keep an eye on it.

Cabo, not many companies out there that will transfer warranty to the second party

lmao :) I'd rather drive on Firestone Tires. :p
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On a side note if Iceman Andy says he can fix it you should look no further. He certainly has more experience repairing kayaks than most people.


Bring him the kayak and let him make a repair before you butcher it up.

na duct neverfails ive made a wallet outta duct tape however it always leaks money :D

Take it from Chris. He knows all to well.

Structural adhesive for poly
 

Here's some stuff I found while searching for different products I could use on my yak.

It's a structural adhesive, not a glue. Its made for poly, the stuff yaks are made of.

I have never used it so I can't tell you how well it will work but it does appear to be a viable solution to your problem.

Just make sure if you use it that you follow the directions!

Good luck. http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=435&

So looks like I am stuck. Here is the info hobie directly told me. I didn't know it was such an old yak. In my opinion I am split on hobie offering me a good deal and me getting screwed (only because it was such a known problem).I wish I would have researched the outback a little more before buying it. Lesson learned.

Hobie:

The offer we have made is us standing behind our product. Your kayak is way beyond its warranty period and has seven years of use. That seven years certainly has a value. Most hulls that are replaced are not as old as yours so the cost is closer to $300 usually, but they also pay about $150 in freight on top of that. OEX picks up their boats since they are close so there is no freight charge. The kayakers that you spoke of have not had a seven year old kayak replaced most likely so they wouldn’t know what to expect in this situation. There is a two year stated warranty on our kayaks, but we generally extend that a couple years for drivewell issues, and beyond that, the replacement is pro-rated. I take it you are a second hand owner since OEX is not the dealer who sold it originally, but since the boat never had a warranty registration submitted, I have no way of knowing for sure. If you would like to think it over for a bit or try to repair it you certainly can, although solid repairs in this area are very difficult and can be risky. Keep in mind, the replacement would be a 2011 hull and the Outback is almost a completely new boat since 2004.

1. 717 gets me a brand new 2011 hull only?
2. Sell it? and Buy new and get all new equipment?

!!!!!!!Either way im still going fishing tonight!!!!!!!! Thanks for all your help and Ideas Fellas!

I would go to Hobie, if they do not replace it for free ask them to lower the price.

This is a No Brainer..............

Pay them the $717.00 and be done with it. Where the hell else are you going to find a New 2011 Outback Hull for that kind of cheap money ???

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You might want to scrap the "sell the old outback" idea. It would be bad juju to pass along a severely compromised kayak.

- Reputations.........Hard to earn - easy to loose.

Agree... it does not seem very ethical if the buyer was not made aware of the problem first.

Unless you issue a full disclosure on the issue, then it would be ok. Who knows, someone might still want to pick up the piece to practice their patching skills or verify their theories on stress cracks? :rolleyes:

X-2

If you're not inclined to drop the $717.00 go see Andy, and have him weld it up.

go get a job at the local market and buy the fing new one for gods sake. never new there could be so much debate(and drama) over a stupid kayak..gotta get out of here......help:the_finger: