Another Hobie drive well Crack

[pchen911]

Originally Posted by Phatford

The Stress that caused the crack, is going to keep putting stress on the area...

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?

[Matar]

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.

[maui jim]

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....
Problem solved.....

[wiredantz]

Originally Posted by maui jim

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....
Problem solved.....

LOL

[Billy V]

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

Its time for a new kayak.

[JOSER85]

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

Which ever way you go good luck!

[Billy V]

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.


This is a pic of a factory reinforced drivewell that solved the problem.


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.


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"

[WahooUSMA]

Originally Posted by maui jim

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....
Problem solved.....

X-2

[bus kid]

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

[dorado50]

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

[pchen911]

well, I would rather have a kayak fishing website where people post kayak fishing reports instead... But what are you gonna do?

[YakMedic]

I cant stop laughing....

[dorado50]

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...... .

[Hypoxic1]

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

[Lets_Fish]

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.

[lbsurf2ca]

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.

[Matar]

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

[Kaijuu]

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&

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Hypoxic1

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

Take it from Chris. He knows all to well.