Distance to rudder control

I am, by some standards, quite short at 5'4". That also means that I have, by some standards, short arms. Of course, in the grand scheme of things I believe I am in fact well built, and that Hobie have just made a mistake with how far they've put the rudder control away from the sitting position. I find I am reaching all the time to turn the yak, and by the time I get home after 2 hours' peddling around, my left shoulder is really aching.

I have a 2014 Revo 13 with the old style seat. The seat moves around all over the place, even though it is attached properly. I also notice there are another two attachment points toward the front. Can I use these ones to put me closer to the rudder? Otherwise, has anyone come up with a way to extend the rudder handle backward? I am concerned that if I move the seat forward, it will foul the middle hatch, which is where I keep my fishing accessories.

And on that, should the seat move around like that or have I missed something in how to set it up?

Have you considered adding a "tiller extension handle" to the rudder tiller (handle)?
The tiller handle should have a brass insert (maybe a 10 x32) that will accept a screw......a short tiller extension could be made from a 1/2" PVC pipe cut 8" to 12" long....length depends on how much "reach" you need. Simply attach the PVC to the insert in the tiller handle.
Your owners manual should ID what the deck attachment points are intended for.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Here are some pics similar to what Dr.SteelheadCatcher is suggesting but reverse the direction
viewtopic.php?f=69&t=38438#p156899
If you use PVC tubing, you can customize it further by putting your extension in hot water and bending to suit so you can re-angle the extension. Notice the tip is bent here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=42174&p=174039#p174039

Yes, try the front pair of seat pegs and see if your seat still clears the hatch.

Using a large blade screwdriver, try screwing in the seat lock inserts about 1/4 to 1/2 turn. This will reduce the seat slop. Be careful not to over-tighten or you could split the housings (if you do though, it's not hard to fix).

barrgr54:
That's precisely what the seat mounting peg holes mounted further forward (closer to the pedals) are for (on the older boats, I'm not sure about the newest boats). Most of my family is also short in stature (my mom was 4'8" and my dad was 5'2"), and all of my brothers and sisters are smaller so when ever any come down to Florida to visit (now the grandkids as well) we would rig the kayak seats in the front seat pegs, take the mirage turbo drives out and replace them with standard Hobie Mirage fins, we found the relatives aren't used to pedaling like we are (we are out most weekends) the turbo fins can become quite tiring. We definitely limit the distance we go with the relatives, we mostly take them thru things like mangrove tunnels and back waters rather than offshore fighting thru surf, and leave the kayak sails at home when they are here (lol).
With the seat in the front seat pegs they have less difficulty reaching the steering handle or the pedals. I believe Hobie sells a steering ball that can be mounted on the steering arms, this makes steering a little less of a workout, without the steering ball, even my hand gets tired quickly trying to steer the kayak without the steering ball. I like the tiller extension ideas, I'm seeing here, we will likely try something like that ourselves. Now my grand kids are getting older, I'm really looking forward to when they can come down and visit, maybe go out kayaking with grandpa......
Hope this helps
Bob

Re the tiller extension...suggest mounting it with the hole in one end....not in the middle as shown in the "linked topic".......this extension is akin to a sailboat "hiking stick" attached to the rudder/tiller arm.....just a really simple version of the original design..... http://www.google.com/patents/US4262619 after opening the link, click on the images and see view #1.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Thanks all. I will try out all options here. This will be even more important for when I get the sail (around September, before our summer).

Update....

Tried the seat in the front connectors and it does foul the hatch. But I have given some thought to the extensions suggested and will try that route.

Meanwhile, I saw in one of the related comments that you can reverse the rudder cables as well so that a turn to the right on a rearward extension will send you right, instead of left (like with a tiller). I had a look inside the hull at the way the cables are run and can't see this as being a problem. Has anyone tried it, and if so, any comments please???