Workshop Warranty Policy

Every Workshop item carries a 1-year defect warranty from the date of purchase. If a manufacturing defect appears within the first year of ownership, Hydrus covers repair or replacement at our discretion. This is a real warranty backed by real coverage.

Defects that are covered include: seam failures from manufacturing error, valve failures from manufacturing error, internal stitching failures, and structural failures not caused by misuse. Defects that are NOT covered include: cosmetic wear, damage from improper use, damage from improper storage, sun damage, and any condition disclosed in the listing at time of purchase.

If a Workshop item is not right for you, you have 30 days from delivery to return it for store credit. Workshop returns are credit-only, not full refunds. The store credit can be applied to any future Hydrus purchase, including new boards, accessories, or other Workshop items.

Return shipping is the customer's responsibility on Workshop items. The item must be returned in the same condition as shipped (we photograph every Workshop item before it ships).

Some Workshop items are sold strictly as-is with no warranty coverage. This is clearly labeled on each item's listing under "Warranty Status." Items typically sold as-is include: Prototype builds, items older than three years from manufacture date, and items where the condition disclosed at purchase already accounts for known issues. If a listing says "Sold As-Is," that item is final sale: no warranty, no returns.

Hydrus occasionally sells prototype boards and accessories through the Workshop. These are experimental builds we made in small quantities, sometimes without standard Hydrus branding. Prototype items are sold as-is with no warranty coverage. They are functional and built with the same materials and process as production boards, but they did not go through our final production line and we cannot guarantee long-term performance. They are for paddlers who want something unique and accept the experimental nature.

Our standard boards carry a Limited Lifetime Defect Warranty because we build them once, test them thoroughly, and stand behind them for as long as you paddle them. Workshop items are different. They have already been on the water, or they have been opened, or they were built in small experimental runs. Treating them like brand-new boards would not be honest. The 1-year defect warranty is real protection without overpromising. The 30-day store credit return lets you back out if the item is not right for you. The as-is option lets us sell items where the standard warranty would not be defensible.