It has been a few years now, since Hobie started making rotomolded polyethylene hulls for some of the newer models.
The passage of time always reveals any flaws. So how are the rotomolded hulls standing up over time ?
Hmmm, cannot comment much on the durability of a wave or bravo. I have only seen a few of them in beach rental places. There they seem to hold up well especially considering the abuse by the inexperienced sailors. I have seen a few getaway's that are privately owned... those look kind of pampered to me - they seem not to go out when it blows.
Rotomolded polyethylene was kind of a popular choice among low $ windsurfing equipment in the old days. To summarize their qualities... They were heavy, flexible (as in not stiff) not contoured (as in no sharp rails) and difficult to destroy. They were good recreational boards - but not at all performance oriented. Repairs require a plastic welding process - but it was not often needed.
It has been more than a few years too. We started building the Wave in 1994. It has now been 12 years!
I don't know have any experience with Getaways, but we have had several Waves, and they all have held up beautifully, even though sitting year round in the hot South Florida sun. The decks have never gotten soft. Our oldest is a 1997 model, and if we cleaned her up, she would look as good as new -- except that the colorful decal has faded.
A member of our fleet in Ohio just got his
new
Wave, which was made in 1995, and the hulls look as good and as solid as the 2006 models.
One problem is with fixing scratches -- next to impossible to do. If anybody has come up with a way to do it, let us know. Because of the exterior coating on the rotomoulded cats, you can't repair with that plastic
welding
process that works for kayaks.