View Single Post
Old 07-27-2011, 11:48 AM   #24
Billy V
Senior Member
 
Billy V's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bay Ho
Posts: 1,382
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"
__________________

Last edited by Billy V; 07-27-2011 at 12:28 PM.
Billy V is offline   Reply With Quote