help with rudder and also seat for Hobie mirage Sport

I have a 2007 hobie mirage sport kayak which I really enjoy but have 2 problems. The first one is a major concern.

1. The lever to make the rudder go down or up moves but does not raise or lower the rudder. I have to gently guide it by hand. It looks like the line has too much slack in it. How do you adjust it?

2. The hobie seat with the two rubber pegs does not stay in the holes even if I press as them in very hard. Any suggestions?

I bought this kayak a year ago from someone who hardly used it. Will it still be covered under any warranty?

Thanks for your help

The warranty on kayaks is now 2 years. The drive is one. This is transfered to subsequent owners.

The Line adjustment information is here: http://www.hobiecat.com/support/index-kayak.html

http://www.hobiecat.com/support/tech/twist-n-stow_adjustments.html

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12573

Seat pegs may have to be inserted further and harder than you suspect. I use pretty hard force with my fist or a mallet if available. You can wrap them in some kind to tape as a shim if the holes are enlarged.

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

Any thoughts on how to adjust the rudder to help it go up and down or do you need to bring this in to a Hobie Dealer for servicing?\

Thanks

The adjustment information is included in the links provided. It is not difficult, but a dealer could help you on this. That is not covered by warranty though. This is maintenence at this point.

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

Same problem on a new one. I got a new seat, however, you might not be so lucky. They sell new pegs that go on the seats, you might try them. See if a newer seat with new pegs will fit tight in your kayak, then you'll know the problem and how to solve it.

Tape didn't work for me....I suggest fixing the problem and not "jack-legging" a solution...........You continue to amaze me Matt....................................ck

_________________
Never argue with an idiot, they will just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

The seat back pegs are available separately - replace them if they are not holding - its not necessary to swap an entire seat assembly - the pegs remove with a simple Philips screw.

Part number # 81265001

One additional comment on the pegs.

We had seen a variance in the peg dimension. The seat vendor (we don't build them here) had their own mold for the pegs and it was a fraction too small. The factory here was aware of it and was supposed to replace these as they go out. There is such a mix of them out there now... we are never quite sure of the cause to loose pegs. Seat design, peg variance, user error, hull differences, wear in the hole, too slippery... there are many possible issues. I choose to get the user back on the water in the most efficient way. Usually technique change or replacing the pegs does the trick, but even the tape shim idea works in the short term and is do-able NOW.

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

Didn't work for me.........so BS.

_________________
Never argue with an idiot, they will just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Enough Clay... It does work for many users.

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

Wein, welcome to the forum. I tap the pegs in on my Adventue with a ball peen hammer and leave the seat there full time. For our Oasis, the pegs seem to be a little small so I took one turn around the pegs with duct tape and that solved the problem.

All the Hobies used to come with the seats riveted in place. If you don't need to remove yours regularly, you can epoxy the plugs in their holes and unscrew the seat from the plugs if you ever need to remove it. Or you can pick up a new set of plugs from your dealer and see how they fit. One way or the other it's a pretty simple solution.

I just purchased a 2009 Mirage Sport and I had problems with the seat pegs on my first use - they would not stay in place. I will check with the dealer to try some new pegs. The idea of permanently mounting them with epoxy and removing the seat with the screws is workable, but there may be another way to retrofit a fix. It may be possible to replace the pegs with something similar to "pressure test plugs" - which are rubber "donuts" with metal washers on each end and a bolt which compress the rubber lengthwise but expands its diameter. This approach could keep the plugs in place but allow them to be easily removed if needed.

As for rudder problems, my boat's rudder was not adjusted properly - it would turn sharply to the right but not to the left. I pulled ashore and adjusted the rudder cord using the two screws but noticed that the left screw seemed to be stripped out. I did not remove the screw, but it feels like it is a self-threading variety installed directly in plastic. Given that this is not a "one time install" use (it will require future adjustments more than once) a more robust fastening might be worthwhile.