Mirage clunk on new Revo

Gotta wonder why the Hobie Tech's are not replying to this apparent common problem. What is the warranty on the Mirage Drive unit and parts?
If I read correctly the shafts on the new 2009's are threaded and not pinned. Would this make a difference in wear and possible clunking?

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Tim
'09 Adventure, Golden Papaya, Turbo Fins, Large Sailing Rudder, Turquoise Sail, Grey Haired Kayaker, ...

I'm not being clear. What I think might be happening is that one end of the axle is sliding back and forwards a bit in its pocket. If that's what's happening and you looked straight down at it, the whole drive would appear to be rotating a tiny bit.

I appreciate how hard it is to remotely diagnose an intermittent problem. I may try tethering it to a dock so that a stationary observer can look at it carefully.

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2x Revo
17' Grumman Ultralight

This is a difficult issue to describe and different for so many people. I have no special fix, but see plenty of input by others.

Warranty is two years now on hulls and drive.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Tim, the "shafts" you're referring to are called masts, and they support the fins (formerly called sails). The "axle" that rx7 is referring to, is more correctly known as a drum shaft, as distinguished from either the sprocket shaft or the pulley shaft.

It's sometimes difficult to decipher which rocking gizmo is attached to the swishing snarfbargle and operating the whirling doohickey when we're not quite sure which garbanstangle we're talking about. To that end, the Parts and Accessories booklet (also available online) has an excellent page on the Mirage Drive to help us effectively communicate the situation.

I believe the "techs" work primarily through dealers, and the forum provides an additional informal resource of experienced based information on a variety of subjects, which should always be taken with a grain of salt.

Just a thought ....

When I used to have the pedal straps, I experienced a clunking too at mid stroke. Turned out that it was being caused by the slight play between the pedal arms and the leg-length adjustment pins. When I removed the straps, so that I could no longer pull on one pedal while pushing on the other, the clunking went away.

Might this be what's happening in your case?

Thanks - worth checking. I'm a cyclist who's been using toe clips for 35 years, so I probably pull a bit on the straps. I'm putting my drive in another hull at the dealer's this afternoon. If I can reproduce the clunk in their hull, I'll try pulling off the straps.

May try the dock tether approach as well, except that I'm afraid that it might pull their rickety dock out by the roots.

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2x Revo
17' Grumman Ultralight

More data - same exact problem with my drive in the dealer's Outback hull. Also, seems like it's only on the left pedal, and happens just a bit past center. It's not consistent, but it only happens when there's a good deal of force being applied. It's loud enough to be clearly audible from 100 feet away. The dealer looked at the drive and felt that the cables were all adjusted properly. He's going to see what his local Hobie rep has to say.

Had a small crowd involved. All present agreed that the ST Turbo fins are the only way to go, and that they should be standard equipment or at least a purchase-time choice.

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2x Revo
17' Grumman Ultralight

You could send the drive back for us to tune and inspect.

We have specific reasons for not including ST Turbo as standard. They all have to be packed as standard or there are double the part numbers for ua and dealers to stock. ST Turbo conversion is pretty simple. The first experience for the typical buyer is much easier using standrad fins. ST Turbo fins stress the drive and the boat more, the depth required is more, the effort required is more, so being the buyers option is important.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I might do that if I haven't figured out what's going on by the time it's too cold to use it - thanks for the offer. My dealer has called back and left a message for me to call him, so perhaps he has a solution or a similar offer.



I understand all those reasons, and I have no intent to be argumentative. However, from a customer point of view there are plenty of things that I buy where I can choose options that suit me at the time of purchase without having to buy some default option as well. When I buy skis, I get to pick the bindings and boots that I want, and the dealer assembles them.

It's not that my preference is unusual - every single person in my experience from a 105 pound teenage girl to a 300 pound ex-football guy has strongly preferred the ST Turbo.

With two Revos, it aggravated me that I had to spend an additional $160 to get the configuration that I wanted. If you can figure out a way to make that option easier for dealers and less aggravating for customers, I can't imagine it would be a bad thing.

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2x Revo
17' Grumman Ultralight

I'm not sure from your post if you tried removing the straps. If so, did it make the mid-stroke clunking go away as it did on both my Revos?

If this does solve the issue, then you can go back to using the straps if you replace the length adjustment pins with SS through-bolts and locknuts. That will eliminate any play you might experience when push/pulling on the pedal arms.

I don't know how many of each fin type Hobie sells. Some people prefer the standard fins for their ruggedness, some for their ease of use, some are intimidated by the Turbos and there are a lot of folks who really go for the STs, including my wife. I once traded my unused standard fins to a guy who didn't like his new Turbos and wanted a spare set of standards.

It does seem needlessly expensive and perhaps even wasteful to buy the fins you want without getting credit for the difference. But on the other hand, it's probably best that every boat is ready to go once it leaves the factory. Hobie used to have the dealers do part of the final assembly (set up the rudders) but this is all handled in the production process now, perhaps as a matter of quality control.

Unlike skis and bindings which all have to be fitted to the individual, the boats are not custom built. If you want custom headlights or wheels for your car -- you just keep the old ones as a spares or find someone who wants them.