Flylikabird's Hobie Adventure 16 Cracked Well Drive

[bjb]

I had the same drivewell crack on a '14 AI. Search "Outback Sinking" on Hobie's forums. I followed the method poster docirv used, only difference I used Loctite 3035 instead of the Tamarron Technologies Tam Tech Adhesive he used, repair still holding strong after 2 years of solid use.  

[The Riddler]

28 mins ago, bjb said:

I had the same drivewell crack on a '14 AI. Search "Outback Sinking" on Hobie's forums. I followed the method poster docirv used, only difference I used Loctite 3035 instead of the Tamarron Technologies Tam Tech Adhesive he used, repair still holding strong after 2 years of solid use.  

Can you show us pictures of the repair as it stands today? 

[HydroSpider]

On 10/4/2020 at 10:59 AM, The Riddler said:

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

I have not, but I don't see anything here that would prevent me from being successful.  The only limiting factors in these projects are angle/access and plastic compatibility.  The pictured hobie project is not finished. It looks like there is enough material laid down but the plastics haven't been melted together. (yet)

I would be curious as to what prep was done under that added plastic to prevent the crack from continuing. Were holes drilled at both ends of the crack? And, were these plastics tested to see if they will mix at similar melting points? If yes to both, it's time to light the fire and go to work.  I think that this boat can be repaired.

  

Edited October 5, 2020 by HydroSpider

[The Riddler]

2 hours ago, HydroSpider said:

I have not, but I don't see anything here that would prevent me from being successful.  The only limiting factors in these projects are angle/access and plastic compatibility.  The pictured hobie project is not finished. It looks like there is enough material laid down but the plastics haven't been melted together. (yet)

I would be curious as to what prep was done under that added plastic to prevent the crack from continuing. Were holes drilled at both ends of the crack? And, were these plastics tested to see if they will mix at similar melting points? If yes to both, it's time to light the fire and go work.  I think that this boat can be repaired.

  

We have seen a high failure rate with those who have tried to fix Hobie's infamous  drive well crack.  Out of 100 that I have seen try to fix the crack, all failed. If someone has been successful with a crack repair I think its great! We want to see the pics and learn the method. Hobie normally has the hull destroyed and gives us either a replacement for no out of pocket or you may or may not get a pro rated deal. 

Edited October 5, 2020 by The Riddler

[bjb]

4 hours ago, The Riddler said:

Can you show us pictures of the repair as it stands today? 

The repair is not pretty, but so far it's holding up.  I think drilling small holes at both ends of crack to prevent spread, heating hull enough so it's soft enough to meld stainless mesh to cover crack & extend past crack on all sides, then heating & melding in some extra Hobie hull material to completely sandwich mesh between existing hull & new material is key.  The new & old plastic must meld together as one, if not it would just be a temporary patch.  I used the cheap Harbor Freight plastic welding kit & the mesh that was included. I had extra Hobie hull plastic from the dealer & some small pieces from a previous hull. Not sure if using a different color matters, but I used the same color. Adding the Locktite 3035 gives extra strength to the area. I did have to file a little bit down when finished, so drive could easily lock in.

 

There's a lot of flex in that area, so it can be challenging, no guarantees how long it may hold up, so I always carry a pump, just in case, lol.

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by bjb

[The Riddler]

32 mins ago, bjb said:

The repair is not pretty, but so far it's holding up.  I think drilling small holes at both ends of crack to prevent spread, heating hull enough so it's soft enough to meld stainless mesh to cover crack & extend past crack on all sides, then heating & melding in some extra Hobie hull material to completely sandwich mesh between existing hull & new material is key.  The new & old plastic must meld together as one, if not it would just be a temporary patch.  I used the cheap Harbor Freight plastic welding kit & the mesh that was included. I had extra Hobie hull plastic from the dealer & some small pieces from a previous hull. Not sure if using a different color matters, but I used the same color. Adding the Locktite 3035 gives extra strength to the area. I did have to file a little bit down when finished, so drive could easily lock in.

 

There's a lot of flex in that area, so it can be challenging, no guarantees how long it may hold up, so I always carry a pump, just in case, lol.

 

Wow!  That's a great job.  To hear it holding up for for a couple of season and still going is the best news I have ever heard on the infamous, drive well crack repair. 

[Pungo]

I tried all forms of repair but that torquing action ultimately pulled the crack open again.    These attempts included a super hot liquid weld last attempt when the the area was heated a ton.   Ultimately that failed too..   It seems like a fixable situation but as long as you use the peddle drive it just does not hold as least for me and the majority of hacks that people try... Plus is is dangerous to be out there with that in the back of your mind.

 

 

[flylikabird]

I thought about drilling a hole at the end other than the cap....but didn't.

I did melt a wedge in the crack with the welding tool I purchased with the HF kit.

I wedged the plastic rod into the crack and melted it into that gap that I created while melting the wedge.

I filled in all around the cap too.

 

Thanks for the input gentlemen.  Kudos for the info!

[Jeffz1]

What if you sealed & welded up the crack closed and then used something like a 1/32 x 1/2 strip of stainless steel and bent it like i mocked up with the red construction paper. 

 Drilled and bolted with lots of sealant around bolt holes. 

  This would take the stress off the cracked area and move it to the top.

 

 

 

 

[flylikabird]

That's pretty interesting Jeff!

[Seakarp]

10 hours ago, Jeffz1 said:

What if you sealed & welded up the crack closed and then used something like a 1/32 x 1/2 strip of stainless steel and bent it like i mocked up with the red construction paper. 

 Drilled and bolted with lots of sealant around bolt holes. 

  This would take the stress off the cracked area and move it to the top.

 

 

 

 

I was thinking something along the same lines. So patch the hole, then address the issue that caused the hole, namely the stresses that are pulling the plastic apart. Maybe something like the above or a strong piece of plastic in a rectangle or a square, secured by stainless steel nuts and bolts, being careful to use some thing to seal the holes after they are drilled.

[Africaster]

Hope this helps

 

[flylikabird]

Here's the latest update on my dilemma.....

As of yesterday my Hobie was still leaking.

I had taken her out on a back bay chasing schoolies and sublegals this past Spring.

 

So I made it a point to try and do some more work in prep for chasing funnies this year. 

Last night I added a layer of Flex Glue to the outside area effected by the tear.

The Flex Glue is exactly the same stuff you see in the  TV spots you see running all the time....but it's the glue formula.

I let it setup overnight and checked it out this morning before going out for a trial run.

It was hard to the touch when I tested it so I took the Hobie Adventure to a lake and ran it through

some paces to see if she was water tight.   After 90 minutes of casting and simulating

Albie chasing scenarios she was still (knock on wood) water tight.   

[flylikabird]

I took my Adventure 16 out for looky loo around some really Funny Fish areas two days ago before the storm

and was on the water for a solid 2.5-3 hrs trying to find those bastids.

Now I struck out trying to find the FF but was very happy and impressed to tell my hull was dry after

coating the outside with Flex Glue. 

I do want to say that I tried looking inside with my headlamp and didn't 

see a tear inside my Hobie.   

I will say last October there was significant leakage upon noticing the outside tear.

This Spring I launched after schoolies n' sub legals and my hull leaked significantly after welding prior to the launch.

It was just last week I saw a Flex TV commercial that made me rethink my problem.

It was at this point I decided to see if that Flex product was really legit.

Fast forward.....

I'm gonna lay another layer on the bottom for abrasion purposes but so far (knock on wood) it been

awesome with this product. 

I'll definitely add more to this thread as we go along during this season but it's encouraging so far form my angle of the dangle.

Fly

Edited August 24, 2021 by flylikabird

[CoffeeHangover]

Looks good!  One of the things (besides the weight) that keeps me away from pedal drives is the stress it puts on the hull.  Has anyone tried tight wrappings of self-fusing silicone tape?