Flylikabird's Hobie Adventure 16 Cracked Well Drive

[flylikabird]

So here I was chasing Albies with my bud Riddler about a half mile off shore last Sunday and my Adventure 16 seems to be acting a little sluggish in the 2nd hand stability department.

So I open up the crotch hatch and look down n' see water but don't really give it much of a whop because....we've been at it since first light and now it's about 11AM with plenty of

Albie A$$holes in the chase.

We land later around 45 minutes later with the South wind ramping up.   Upon further inspection there's a lot of water....I chalk it up to typical funny fish chasing but The Riddler 

knows better and inspects the drive well only to find a crack.   

[Jeffz1]

Bummer.

Adventure means its a 2014 or older.

Probably not much warranty value in it. 

[flylikabird]

You're right it's not gonna fall within' any normal warranty "value" per se according to "Hobie" warranty structure.

Let's not forget the number of cracked hulls from this class hull......shall we?  

 

[flylikabird]

So here's the welding.

I added some Silicone on top of the weld yesterday and it failed.

Thought about 2 part epoxy but just learned that would probably fail too.

 

Will Polyethylene resin stick to 2 part Epoxy resin?    

Search......

Answer.

 

Polyethylene plastic is wonderful stuff because nothing sticks to it, including epoxy. Even polysulfides like 5200 or Sika‑flex won't stick to boards of high-density polyethylene - such boards must be screwed in place. But this makes polyethylene very useful when working epoxy.

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by flylikabird

[flylikabird]

Drive fits in snugly but will the weld hold?

Hmmmmm?

[The Riddler]

5 hours ago, flylikabird said:

Drive fits in snugly but will the weld hold?

Hmmmmm?

I wish you luck with the patch. I have not seen one successful patch. 
 

Anyone here make a successful patch that has actually lasted?  Show us a pic. 

[BillZ]

Imo, Plastic welding a crack like that will be more successful when you V-notch the crack  & fill  in the gouge.

 

It's crucial to get both sides if the material to be joined into an almost fluid state thru the entire thickness of the material, concentrated hot air welding works great for those repairs, heating both sides of the crack & the filling medium at the scene time, keeping the air tip moving is key .....

 

Adding surface matl doesn't close it up,  it only covers the wound.....

 

I wish you luck with that repair as well, it couldn't have happened at a worse time  

 

Best ....

[Jeffz1]

It does seem to be  a tough time now for warranty work and to find parts.

A few dealers I've talked to aren't expecting any hobie kayaks until next year and im told ordering parts is crap shoot . Im waiting 2 months on a replacement hull and counting myself. 

 

 

 

[flylikabird]

1 hour ago, BillZ said:

Imo, Plastic welding a crack like that will be more successful when you V-notch the crack  & fill  in the gouge.

 

It's crucial to get both sides if the material to be joined into an almost fluid state thru the entire thickness of the material, concentrated hot air welding works great for those repairs, heating both sides of the crack & the filling medium at the scene time, keeping the air tip moving is key .....

 

Adding surface matl doesn't close it up,  it only covers the wound.....

 

I wish you luck with that repair as well, it couldn't have happened at a worse time  

 

Best ....

Yup.

Thanks for the tips Bill.

 

[flylikabird]

35 mins ago, Jeffz1 said:

It does seem to be  a tough time now for warranty work and to find parts.

A few dealers I've talked to aren't expecting any hobie kayaks until next year and im told ordering parts is crap shoot . Im waiting 2 months on a replacement hull and counting myself. 

 

 

 

That sux.  Good luck with it.

[HydroSpider]

19 hours ago, The Riddler said:

I wish you luck with the patch. I have not seen one successful patch. 
 

Anyone here make a successful patch that has actually lasted?  Show us a pic. 

 

 Here are my plastic welding tools and some of my work.

I use a hobby torch called the Bernzomatic.  Most folks suggest using hot air guns but I prefer the live flame for most repairs.

  Here is a keel repair on a Perception tandem. I used WS plastic and they were compatible. 

 

[HydroSpider]

This is on a old scupper pro that was starting to show some oil canning damage around a scupper. 

Easy fix that didn't require any extra plastic.

[HydroSpider]

I used to chase striper on a Malibu 4.4.    The stern split at the tip (3" long) and the photo shows how that boat normally rides at the waterline.  Malibu plastic has been challenging for me.  The plastic is softer than others and has a lower melting point.  I used sort of a plastic salad from other projects and was able to reinforce the section with sturdier plastics. Ugly but functional. 

Edited October 4, 2020 by HydroSpider

[The Riddler]

1 hour ago, HydroSpider said:

 

 Here are my plastic welding tools and some of my work.

I use a hobby torch called the Bernzomatic.  Most folks suggest using hot air guns but I prefer the live flame for most repairs.

  Here is a keel repair on a Perception tandem. I used WS plastic and they were compatible. 

 

Nice work! Have you repaired a drivewell crack in a hobie?

[flylikabird]

Thanks Spider.