Hobie 2019 gear tracks made from plastic?

Craig. This looks really good. Would it be possible to build one that spans the full length of the track with a new surface that is mounted through the same screw holes that the Hobie track uses?  Mojo Jojo built a shorter version for himself out of aluminum that worked this way. I have ordered one that spans across the tracks but see it as an intermediate solution.

Mojo don’t gotta a hobie, he just likes to fabricate shit!  . Haven’t built one but would give it a shot, or since I don’t do aluminum get my local guy to look at one.

Craig. This looks really good. Would it be possible to build one that spans the full length of the track with a new surface that is mounted through the same screw holes that the Hobie track uses?  Mojo Jojo built a shorter version for himself out of aluminum that worked this way. I have ordered one that spans across the tracks but see it as an intermediate solution.

It should be doable.  Are you talking like Rogerdoger's but the full length made from 1/8" aluminum? I would need to be able to measure one.  Maybe Seth at Next Adventure will let me examine one.  Are the screws counter sunk in the plastic?  What size screws are they?  I thought Hobie used #8 on some of their other parts.  Do you want aluminum or HDPE? I need to learn how to anodize aluminum so it could be really pimped.

Yes Craig. I am thinking that if a plate could be made to fit right over the full length of the track out of something solid that would not flex under pressure that could be the ticket. The screws in the Outback gear tracks are counter sunk to be flush and allow you to slide mounted devices smoothly up and down the rail. I’m not sure how you could use the existing screw holes and mount on top of the existing track while maintaining the countersink. I think the material would need to be thicker than the 1/8 “ shown in the sample.


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You could do one out of thinner stainless and then divot the hole to match the plastic countersink, you’d have to get a slightly smaller screw head or shave a little off the existing ones to get it below the surface. Might be worth seeing what a replacement out of solid aluminum, milled to match might cost? I’m guessing on the speedy side!?

You could do one out of thinner stainless and then divot the hole to match the plastic countersink, you’d have to get a slightly smaller screw head or shave a little off the existing ones to get it below the surface. Might be worth seeing what a replacement out of solid aluminum, milled to match might cost? I’m guessing on the speedy side!?

If the screws are #8 or #10, you could counter sink them flush into 1/8 inch aluminum (3.175 mm) with a little room to spare.

#10 counter sink is 2.94 mm deep (0.116 in)


#8 countersink would be 2.3114 mm deep. (0.091 in)

Could it be fabricated to be exactly like the plastic composition track below it and share the same screw holes. Then maybe for added strength be done with bolts and nylock nuts to be accessed under the hull? The track bolts have pulled out from the under side of the track. I suppose it has expanded equally from the bottom of the track to the top but I am not sure. My concern is that the top gets reinforced by aluminum but the bottom still expands some as pressure comes from above. Is this likely?

Without physically looking at one, I really can't answer the "expansion" question.  Are you saying that the T bolt came out and that spread the slot?  I really need to get in to the shop to see what this plastic track looks like.  Is there room for a washer on the underside of the plastic track to help spread the load?  All I have is the photo from Hobie's website. It dos not look like there is room for a washer. The problem with some of these new kayaks, is that most manufacturers are bass-centric.   The add-ons are not designed for the bigger and much stronger fish we target. 

However, a plate could be made that uses the existing screw holes.  If it were mine, I would be tempted to put an aluminum plate on over the plastic using the original holes.  However, I would widen the slot in the plastic so the track t-slot bolt would only contact aluminum and would slide between the sides of the plastic slot.  However, that may not be good for resale.

Could I manufacture a duplicate of the original plastic one in aluminum that also attaches on the side?  It would take a lot of trial and error with the tools I have and I couldn't guarantee I would be successful. 

What I am reading here is that Hobie upgraded their kayak with a bunch of add-ons that increased the cost significantly and were supposed to eliminate some of the mods we normally would have to do. However, their plastic track is insufficient for our need so we have to buy a $35 plate that spans both, buy all new expensive rail mounts, or custom fabricate something to strengthen the track.

Now I am glad I decided not to sell the 2018 Outback I bought 5 days before they announced the new model last August.  I can spend $10 on a piece of track and all my old mounts work when and where I mount them. 

Have any of you used this mount for your Scotty rod holders where you have successfully sustained significant pressure on the mount and had it hold ok? I don’t know much about these rail mounts or whether they could spin when under pressure. All inputs would be great. Thanks.

The idea of the rail/track design on the new Outbacks was for the tracks to be used for light duty (think fishfinders for example) and the H-Rails to be used for heavy duty. This is why the H-Rail has a built in Gear Track to act as a "heavy duty" metal gear track as well as heavy duty rail. Even beyond the fact that the outside tracks are plastic, they are also mounted with self tapping screws which should never be used for HD uses. The H-Rail on the other hand is bolted into brass inserts, once again eluding to it being engineered as the heavy duty option.
Have you tried just putting your current mighty mount setup in the track slot on the H-Rail?

Yes, on my last trip out I put my Scotty mount with the mighty mount base onto the h-rail. It seemed tow work ok but I cross the rod across my legs when I troll and I found it a bit to close in. I could learn to adjust to this however it if were foolproof. I think Hobie needs to develop an aluminum or stainless cover for the composite material to make it stronger. The other option would be to tell people the composite track is to be used only for fish finder, GoPro etc.   I think most people think rod holders when they consider the tracks in their “work space” up front on the boat. I really don’t think Hobie anticipated this one.

As I suggested above, I would say dont crank down on your bolts, they should be snug, but not super tight.  I would conjecture that really cranking down on your bolts is deforming the track.  I mean even with aluminum track on my old WS ATAK, I bent the profile a bit by cranking down too hard on a scotty track mount gearhead (and those are supposed to be pretty easy to break).  Also, it seems like loosening the drag could help if you get snagged or a really big bite.

One more thing, consider trying to align the t-bolts near the SS screws that hold down the plastic tracks.

It seems like this issue would have popped up on the Hobie forum if it was an extensive issue.  While these boats do get used for bass alot, it seems like there is a decent california and gulf subset that troll big game or at least larger pelagics. 

Have any of you used this mount for your Scotty rod holders where you have successfully sustained significant pressure on the mount and had it hold ok? I don’t know much about these rail mounts or whether they could spin when under pressure. All inputs would be great. Thanks.

Jammer switched to these during Springer season because he had a similar issue and you. https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=21762.msg227563#msg227563

I used to have Scotty Gear Head Track Adapters on both sides and switched to rail mounts as per picture above (Hobie H-Rail Mounting Plate 84622001). They are great and I think this is better way for rod holders. A specially when you are fishing for a big fish. Plastic tracks are still great for fish-finder.

Well, I think I am going to be getting back on "track" with solid track mounts for my 2019 Outback. Thanks to each of you that offered your experience and advice.

The good news is I enjoyed some amazing "take-downs" from salmon on my Hobie this year. The bad news was that my rod holders were getting ripped out of the plastic tracks leaving me with a rod and holder in my hands while trying to fight a fish.  Fortunately I didn't loose any gear.

 I am rather pessimistic that Hobie will step up here and do a recall to fix this issue. I am being told that Hobie never intended these tracks to be used with heavy or powerful fish. I not sure that I really believe this, I think they just under engineered the rails, probably saving some costs along the way. I'm not going to complain much more about this cause I really do love these boats having bought 4 of them over the years.

I  may be too late to try them out on fish this season but I am going to experiment with the two options folks pointed me to. I bought one of each of these and am pretty optimistic that they will both work well.

The product from Snipe Air Industries looks like a very well made product. It will certainly hold up to most any fish when trolling. The only down side is that it spans both the h-rail and the gear track. Very strong but does consume space where I like to keep my 3700 Planar box.

The second H-rail attachment gets good reviews and it seems very solid. I am not sure how torque on an h-rail holds up, but at first inspection, it seems fairly strong. I will try it as well. 

Again thanks to each of you that helped me sort through this. I was pretty disallusioned with Hobie but these work-arounds will give me confidence again when out on the water. Here are photos of both options for those that share the same issue now or will in the future.

I didn't read the whole thread, so maybe this was mentioned, but in the last photo of the scotty mount, I would upgrade it to the one with a push button release. Just my personal preference.