I installed it on my 12.0 Passport and was real easy. It gives me more control when the wind is blowing harder. LOVE IT. Now I also carry the original rudder in my Box for a backup.
Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm Posts: 15040 Location: Oceanside, California
77800097 RUDDER ASSY XL KIT,PASSPORT
Hobie’s XL Rudder upgrade for Mirage Passport kayaks is in inventory, and shipping now.
This upgraded rudder gives users up/down control from the seat, and boosts maneuverability and lateral stability. When turning in tight quarters, or sailing the Passport 10.5 or 12.0, this rudder has more authority than the stock rudder. Not only does the larger blade improve performance, it also allows the user to stow the rudder when going extremely shallow. The up/down control feature is particularly useful in launching and landing situations, or when clearing debris from the rudder blade.
Features:
Rudder up/down control from the seat allows for clearing debris and easy stowage or deployment of the rudder. Improved maneuverability at low speeds provides better boat handling in tight quarters. Increased surface area provides more lateral stability when sailing Improved tracking over long distances means less manipulating the steering handle when covering water.
_________________ Matt Miller Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales Warranty and Technical Support Hobie Cat USA (Retired 11/7/2022)
Why is this not standard? Before the Passport, I had never seen a kayak with a rudder that you could not deploy/retract from the seated position. Hopefully Hobie will start including it on the new Passport R.
Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm Posts: 15040 Location: Oceanside, California
Quote:
Why is this not standard?
This was not available when the Passport was designed. It comes from the i-Trek series. Passport is a low price point product, so there are not as many bells and whistles to keep costs down.
_________________ Matt Miller Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales Warranty and Technical Support Hobie Cat USA (Retired 11/7/2022)
I installed it on my 12.0 Passport and was real easy. It gives me more control when the wind is blowing harder. LOVE IT. Now I also carry the original rudder in my Box for a backup.
Me too. It slaps the kayak pretty good when pulling the rudder up. I was thinking about putting a strip of something like a car door edge protector on the rudder. Thoughts?
Finally got mine. Worth the wait. I do sail my passport 12 with out the amas. Used to have issues with losing steerage when kayak speed went up., no longer. I feel better stability as well. Thanks Hobie for understanding the short falls of original rudder and providing an anwer..
Also, I finally put my new XL to the test. What a significant difference in all phases of performance to the 12. Well worth the upgrade cost. In my opinion... Hobie should raise the price of the 12 and include the XL rudder as standard equipment. They can keep the small rudder standard on the 10.5 thus allowing for a bigger price difference between the units. Yes, its a ridiculous and annoying nuisance of the rudder banging the stern upon rope pull up, so I just manually deploy the rudder before sailing off and manually kick up while in the water when beaching. If you can't avoid the mud and weeds... I assume the Hull can take a many bangs during her lifetime. Enjoy the sailing.
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