Second hand hobie issues

[jaybez]

Hello all, recently bought this 2018 hobie outback from a gent that was moving overseas, so didn't need it any more:

Got it for 1700 delivered from Yamba to Goulburn, which I thought was a great deal.

The above image is from pejar on Saturday, a session which I donutted on.

However, the reason for the post is an issue with the rudder. When I pull the down lever, the rudder goes down, but withing a couple of minutes, it is lifting, and turning me to the left. This is obviously annoying, as I can't concentrate on the fishing. I need to readjust the rudder every few minutes. This may because the strings aren't tight enough, which should be an easy repair, but should the rudder click into place or anything like that?

Cheers for reading and appreciate any advice.

Jay

[Green Hornet]

It’s been a long time since I owned an Outback, but when you lower the rudder are you placing the cord in the cleat?  
I vaguely remember there was a small, jam style cleat for this purpose.

[Steve0]

Mine used to get upset by pool noodles added for buoyancy if the kayak leaked. A place to start would be to check all cords are running freely and not touching something somewhere between the lever and rudder.

[jaybez]

8 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

It’s been a long time since I owned an Outback, but when you lower the rudder are you placing the cord in the cleat?  
I vaguely remember there was a small, jam style cleat for this purpose.

Thanks Pete, found that cleat this evening when I knew what to look for. This should fix my only issue with the Hobie now.

Cheers,

Jay 

[Green Hornet]

No worries Jay, always happy to help where I can. Good to hear you got it sorted and was an easy fix.

Great little kayaks those Outbacks. Look after the mirage drive and it should serve you well. Hope it brings you plenty of memorable catches.

Pete

 

[DerekD]

Hi @jaybez

Congratulations on the purchase and may it bring you many years of pleasure.

I've got an older 2010 Hobie revolution and found that after several years the grease in the drive was drying out. When you get the time look at the model of the drive and work out what servicing is required. Mine had the bushes but I've helped service one from a friend which has the plastic roller bearings. Also make sure you use water resistant grease so it doesn't wash out. I use the Inox MX6 with ptfe. Takes me about 45 minutes to strip, clean, re-grease and reassemble which is faster and cheaper than a trip to a service center. There were some good videos out there for my drive. Just watch you don't tighten the cables too much.

Edited Tuesday at 11:20 PM by DerekD

[jaybez]

45 minutes ago, DerekD said:

Hi @jaybez

Congratulations on the purchase and may it bring you many years of pleasure.

I've got an older 2010 Hobie revolution and found that after several years the grease in the drive was drying out. When you get the time look at the model of the drive and work out what servicing is required. Mine had the bushes but I've helped service one from a friend which has the plastic roller bearings. Also make sure you use water resistant grease so it doesn't wash out. I use the Inox MX6 with ptfe. Takes me about 45 minutes to strip, clean, re-grease and reassemble which is faster and cheaper than a trip to a service center. There were some good videos out there for my drive. Just watch you don't tighten the cables too much.

Thanks Derek, yeah I was wondering if I should service the mirage drive to start with before using it too much? It appears to be well greased, and didn't have any issues on Saturday, but worthwhile looking at as a preventative measure?

Jay

[DerekD]

15 minutes ago, jaybez said:

Thanks Derek, yeah I was wondering if I should service the mirage drive to start with before using it too much? It appears to be well greased, and didn't have any issues on Saturday, but worthwhile looking at as a preventative measure?

Jay

You should be right but the grease drying up on you is a gradual issue. It just gets a little harder to use over time but you think it is because you are getting older and slower (which is probably happening in parallel).

Do some research to be aware of what it takes for your specific drive (mine was the V2). Do it once in the coming year to make sure you have a clean start and it will be a few years before you have to do it again but for the cost of a $10 tube of grease which will last at least 3 services and some time it is worth the satisfaction of a job well done and the peace of mind. I used to do it annually in the winter.