# Housten, we have a problem.....(Prowler Elite)



## Guest (Aug 10, 2006)

Hmmm...... 

Went to look at the Prowler tonight after work to form a plan of attack for tomorrow night, after work I was going to fit my Scotty Triple, Transducer Mount and Sounder etc.

When sticking my head inside the hull and having a good look around I noticed an unusual amount of light penetrating some sections of the top half of the hull.

There are a few sections of the hull which are worryingly thin. A couple of sections in particular are causing me some serious concern.

At the top of the 'Transducer Scupper' the walls of the circular section is so thin it allows 4-5 times the amount of light thru than other sections. I'd estimate the plastic in this area is so thin it would barely be 1mm thick. Possibly not even this thick!

I can easily push it with ONE finger without any real effort and feel the bulge on the other side of the plastic with the other hand.

There are a couple of other sections on the top half of the hull, particularly in the footwell area which are not a great deal thicker and are allowing quite a lot of light through the hull.

I am thinking of returning it to Anaconda and telling them I am not happy with the hull. OK kayaks only carry a 12 month warranty so I'm not keen to take a 'wait and see' approach when I have invested so much money into the thing already.

Also not sure what to do for this weekend.......I can still carry out the fitout tomorrow night and wet the Prowler for the first time, or leave it on the wall at home and use the already rigged Tarpon.


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## JB (Jul 5, 2006)

Dallas, I know the fullas here in NZ who have been involved in the design and if their workmanship is not up to expectation then they would expect nothing less that you to return it and discuss with where you purchased it your issue. I know the fullas here in NZ would sort you out should you still not get the satisfaction you are after.

Take it back , get another one - feel comfortable about your yak.

Key thought for the day = I've only heard of 1 fulla who can walk on water and your him. The rest of us have to swim! Unless you know how to turn water into wine - then your my best mate 8)

Let me know how you get on - if your going to poke your finger through it do it at the dealers so they can see.
if you have issues still and don't know where to turn flick me a PM and I'll see if I can talk to the fullas here ( I fish with them in our yak fishing club)
regards


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## JB (Jul 5, 2006)

Dallas, I know the fullas here in NZ who have been involved in the design and if their workmanship is not up to expectation then they would expect nothing less that you to return it and discuss with where you purchased it your issue. I know the fullas here in NZ would sort you out should you still not get the satisfaction you are after.

Take it back , get another one - feel comfortable about your yak.

Key thought for the day = I've only heard of 1 fulla who can walk on water and your him. The rest of us have to swim! Unless you know how to turn water into wine - then your my best mate 8)

Let me know how you get on - if your going to poke your finger through it do it at the dealers so they can see.
if you have issues still and don't know where to turn flick me a PM and I'll see if I can talk to the fullas here ( I fish with them in our yak fishing club)
regards


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2006)

Thanks JB, appreciate the offer mate.

I'm sure once they see the hull there wont be much in the way of arguments. These kayaks are designed for offshore fishing where a hull failure could result in a life or death situation pretty quickly and I'm sure the local distributor and NZ parent will be happy to replace the hull.

I think I am just disappointed to find the problem so close to a big fishing weekend at Lake Wivenhoe.

I really want to still carry out the fit out and take it up there, and I dont see that the thing is going to sink on me on the first trip. I'd also like the use of the yak until a replacement hull can be arranged.

I'm guessing they wont back out on a warranty claim on a thin hull because I went ahead and used it once??.....surely not??

If anything it would be good advertising for OK as there will be at least one guy there who is looking at buying one (Mac_Fish was thinking about an upgrade)?


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Disappointing Dallas

I wouldn't worry about using it this weekend, but doubt that I would fit it out just in case there is a problem :?


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2006)

Hey Dodge,

Yeah mate, the way I was thinking of looking at it......

The plastic isnt going to get any thinner/thicker because I used it over the coming weekend?, it either meets the criteria for a warranty claim or it doesnt....end of story.

If they agree the hull is too thin either having been used or not I'll get a replacement, if they disagree whether it has been used or not I'm left with a Prowler with a thin hull I'll always be worried about.

As far as fitout is concerned, the only drilling required is the 4 holes for the Scotty mount. And seeing as though this moulding was designed to take a Scotty mount on the front I can't see this would affect the warranty either?

For the rest of the fitout I will be using the pre-moulded inserts for the sounder bracket.......I can run the power cable for the battery through the hatch lid for the Big W trip rather than use the waterproof cable valve I bought to run the cable through the hull.


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## PoddyMullet (Aug 29, 2005)

Sorry to hear about the yak Dallas...but I guess ya got the warranty for a back up. I keep on hearing (and have had personal experience) with similar stories from a range of kayaks (not just Ocean Kayak brand). Fair enough SOT's are difficult to manufacture and duds come out. But I reckon that should result in all SOT producing companies taking loads more interest in quality control. In the end, ya keen eye over her before ya paddled off may have saved ya some on water trouble, and I'm tipping the replacement will be a work of art. :shock: :wink:


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

yes mate, very disappointing.....but could be a lot worse. you could be 3 km's offshore and the bloody hull cracks...blub blub blub :shock:

after you've been used to the thickness of your tarpon hulls I think anything would look/feel thin, the tarpons are a bit of a tank....

i'd also refrain from drilling holes etc until you have a chat with the shop where you bought it.

do they have any more in stock?


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2006)

Heya Davey,

None in stock that I know of, and they have no more of the Flame colour in the country at this stage, I think they have more coming in a few weeks.

The problem is more than just being thinner than the Tarpon hull.....overall the hull is thinner all around, no question, but the sections I'm talking about are ridiculously thin. The plastic couldnt even be 1mm thick......they almost look semi-transparent when looking from inside the kayak.

The area above the transducer scupper is also a little bit of a load bearing area as weight from the top will be passed down through this section of the kayak, down the scupper post and on to the bottom of the hull. I'd say its only a matter of time before the plastic cracks in that area, and with only a 12 month warrany period? even if it lasts a year I'll be high and dry after that.


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

I hope this is a very isolated issue and not likely to occur in certain other models...


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2006)

PoddyMullet said:


> Sorry to hear about the yak Dallas...but I guess ya got the warranty for a back up. I keep on hearing (and have had personal experience) with similar stories from a range of kayaks (not just Ocean Kayak brand). Fair enough SOT's are difficult to manufacture and duds come out. But I reckon that should result in all SOT producing companies taking loads more interest in quality control. In the end, ya keen eye over her before ya paddled off may have saved ya some on water trouble, and I'm tipping the replacement will be a work of art. :shock: :wink:


Heya Poddy,

True enough mate, I'm not upset at OK as these things happen, and the problem might not have been too obvious unless looking from within the hull with a light coming in from the other side (in this case the roof light in my garage when the yak was on the wall).

I really do hope they help me out with this one, as being a yak designed for offshore work you really do want complete confidence in your hulls integrity :shock:

I've emailed OK and asked them what the procedure is for a warranty claim, and also decided to leave the Prowler at home this weekend, much to my extreeme disappointment


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

Its a good thing that we take our kayaks seriously. Just imagine the outcome, say if for instance a total newbie at the sport, saw one hanging on the wall, and thought yep that will do nicely, and just paddles off into testing conditions and gets permanantly wiped out!
Perhaps they should be electronically tested... like condoms :shock:

Cheers Andybear.... and good luck with your claim :lol:


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## simond11 (Aug 29, 2005)

Hi Dallas
If I were you I would not touch the kayak. Don't drill any holes in it. Just take it back and show them the thinness of the hull.
Just to be on the safe side.
Cheers

Simon
Prowler 15


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

I think that both Ocean Kayak and Malibu could do a better job of quality control. Rotomolding has some inherent deficiencies. I'd like to think that the manufacturers realize that and would thoroughly check their product before it goes out the door. Unfortunately, it would seem that they only make cursory inspections for holes and blemishes. I understand that extensive quality assurance checks can be costly, but the cost of a product failure on the water could be significant. These companies know where and how their products are being used. They work closely with their retailers and all of the major brands sponsor kayak fisherman. They are well aware that their customers routinely fish in waters where a hull failure could be disastrous. If nothing else, you would think that the threat of law suits would lead them to be a little more concerned with quality. 
I've heard that OK supplied one of the fishing resorts in Mexico with Prowlers that were molded to a greater thickness to withstand the rigors of daily rental use. I am sure that they are somewhat heavier than the standard yaks, but I would gladly accept that trade-off; weight for confidence.


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## The Mariner (Aug 23, 2005)

Hmmm 

It's unfortunate that OK seem to have a bit of a reputation for making their kayaks a bit on the thin side.

But...

I agree with DGax65. This sort of problem should be captured in the Quality Control phase of the operation. O.K. & Malibu do, as all good manufacturers should, have a pre-delivery checklist that every kayak produced needs to comply with.

It escapes me as to why problems like thin wall sections, leaky scupper etc. continue to get through.


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