I'm baaaack....(trying to be, ay least)

Hi All, long time no see, chat, post, etc.

For a wide variety of reasons (aka life), I've been off the water for quite a while now. When I retired in 2019 and we moved to Scotts Valley, I thought "Sweet! I'm closer to Santa Cruz/Pebble Beach/Big Sur! Time to start fishing again!" I parked my kayaks under our back deck, expecting to pull them out over that summer and hit the water. Alas, Life wasn't done with me. Five f'ing years go by, and my men's group was tired of hearing me say that I need to do something for myself, like start fishing again, so a couple of days ago I pulled my Hobie out from under the deck. Immediately felt bad, seeing how filthy she was. I mean, I like a dirty girl as much as the next guy, but this was too much. 

Having lost my kayak stand in one of the moves, I slapped together a new one and got the yak on top for inspection and a good wash. The boats were well protected under the deck, so it was mostly years of caked on dust, made worse by water dripping down from yearly power washing of the deck.

Once the Hobie was clean I gave her a quick once-over, and decided I'd hit up the collective wisdom of NCKA before trying to get OTW. I contemplated replacing the rudder lines, but upon inspection they looked okay so I just adjusted the twist & stow rudder (the line had loosened at one point). Other than that I haven't done much. The transducer mount is still nicely glued into the hull, but I need to check the fish finder for proper operation. My GPS was glitching when I last used it, so a new one is probably in the cards unless Garmin can fix it. My marine radio works fine. One issue I was having on my last few trips was with the Mirage drive...something was slipping and rendering the drive unusable. I recall a loose bolt near the top of one of the fins being the culprit, but I need to look and see if my memory returns.

So, Gents, any thoughts? The Hobie is a 2006 Outback, with the original drive unit. I'm considering upgrading it, but I'm not even sure what fits the older models. If any of y'all have upgraded their Mirage drive, I welcome your advice. Other than that, what am I missing? The boat hasn't touched water in 6-7 years and I want to make sure it's safe before I hit the big blue, so if you have thoughts I appreciate your input.

I also need to put new line on a couple of my reels. And get a fishing license!

Once the Hobie is done, I'll drag out the T-160 that I bought from one of you guys years ago (sorry, I forget who the seller was) and get her cleaned up as well. 

nice transformation 

Slipping on the drive may be missing teeth on the sprocket. What type of drive is it can you post a pic? My 180 has been a pain in the ass the last couple years but I've fixed it to usable multiple times.

Lots of amazon parts that could get you up to speed for cheaper then Hobie prices.

Welcome back Usagi 

Slipping on the drive may be missing teeth on the sprocket. What type of drive is it can you post a pic? My 180 has been a pain in the ass the last couple years but I've fixed it to usable multiple times.

Lots of amazon parts that could get you up to speed for cheaper then Hobie prices.

It's an oldie, I don't know what this model is called. 

Slipping was probably the wrong choice of words. The drive would "slip" into neutral, as in it would stop propelling me all together. I just pulled the drive out and once I jiggled things around a bit I saw/remembered the issue. Looks like it's just an allen nut that worked itself loose. You can see in the pic where the fin came out. It'll probably be fine once I tighten the nut.

That said, one of the fins has the beginning of a small tear. I should probably upgrade to turbo fins at least.

Thanks for the reply!

nice transformation 

 

Welcome back Usagi 

Thank you! 

I'm sure i have an old fin and mast if you would like it, but buying new turbo fins is the way to go  .

It looks like the mast broke off—if so, you’ll have to remove the stub before you can do anything with it.

Like Al said, turbo fins are the way to go.

There are also ST fins, which are between standard and turbo. They aren’t nearly as good as turbo, but better than standard. If you are in a hurry, I have some ST fins and masts that I’m not using (and probably never will) and I’m just a few miles away from SV.

I'm sure i have an old fin and mast if you would like it, but buying new turbo fins is the way to go  .

Thanks Al! Yeah, I'm looking online now for turbo fins. Just need to make sure I get the right kind.

It looks like the mast broke off—if so, you’ll have to remove the stub before you can do anything with it.

Like Al said, turbo fins are the way to go.

There are also ST fins, which are between standard and turbo. They aren’t nearly as good as turbo, but better than standard. If you are in a hurry, I have some ST fins and masts that I’m not using (and probably never will) and I’m just a few miles away from SV.

Actually, it looks like just slid out - it slides back into the hole easily. The allen nut must've been really loose lol. I appreciate the offer of the ST's, I'll let you know if my search for turbo fins hits a wall. Not in a huge rush (despite hearing that the halibut bite is on fire). We're headed to LA for a week to visit our kids so I'm hoping to order before we leave and have the new fins waiting for me.

Actually, it looks like just slid out - it slides back into the hole easily. The allen nut must've been really loose lol. I appreciate the offer of the ST's, I'll let you know if my search for turbo fins hits a wall. Not in a huge rush (despite hearing that the halibut bite is on fire). We're headed to LA for a week to visit our kids so I'm hoping to order before we leave and have the new fins waiting for me.

If it's not threaded, then those are V1 masts, and you'll have to be sure that you don't order V2 (threaded). I'm not sure, but I suspect that V1 components are hard to find. You might want to consider upgrading to GT drive--although it's a pricey option, IMHO it's worth it:

https://www.amazon.com/Hobie-Drum-Update-Kit-V1/dp/B074KQT187

Actually, it looks like just slid out - it slides back into the hole easily. The allen nut must've been really loose lol. I appreciate the offer of the ST's, I'll let you know if my search for turbo fins hits a wall. Not in a huge rush (despite hearing that the halibut bite is on fire). We're headed to LA for a week to visit our kids so I'm hoping to order before we leave and have the new fins waiting for me.

If it's not threaded, then those are V1 masts, and you'll have to be sure that you don't order V2 (threaded). I'm not sure, but I suspect that V1 components are hard to find. You might want to consider upgrading to GT drive--although it's a pricey option, IMHO it's worth it:

https://www.amazon.com/Hobie-Drum-Update-Kit-V1/dp/B074KQT187

Yeah, it's a V1 drive. You're right about parts being scarce. I'm sure Hobie is happier selling pricey new units rather than supporting old kayaks like mine.

Can you just replace the sprockets to update to a V2 mast?

here is the turbo assembly, I think this can be installed on the drive? I havent taken one of the old ones apart yet tho.

https://www.amazon.com/Mirage-Turbo-Upgrade-Hobie-Fishing/dp/B0BP1MJYZG/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TfjuO3YpbvcWJZ9TtCoqmStXxPmh1CyicChyLkweYwNl5Gr6h883t4k7xS-xt0Op8ueXvN-4U8BAMxI6hpkLrcMzPmpfqUz6ryhqMjMxkPQ.C0mqEGgYYIfiw4ASTwAq2Snyk6fTzb_CTsVbVCxPtsE&dib_tag=se&m=A1WXF9KVMDM17T&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1721758549&s=merchant-items&sr=1-5