Hobie Cat Forums

I may have a problem developing with my turbo fins after only two outings. Mickey is on his sabatical so I took off solo today down our Mitchell River. Though the wind was 10 to 15 knots, it fluked down the river in a most haphazard fashion and I got to pedal for about 3 hours total with not a great deal of help from the wind at times.
Anyway had a great day but when I returned to the ramp and was packing up I noticed one of the mast ends is starting to tear through the rubber fin at its extremity. I was careful not to hit anything so am having trouble explaining it.
The turbos only went on a week back and Mickey and I were very careful to ensure the masts were screwed in all the way home.

AxelH already stated this in another thread:
That sounds exactly like the problem I mentioned in this thread.
For me it looked like a constructional problem or an issue based on the material used, therefore I brought the fins back to my dealer and used the standard fins (the black ones). Of cause pedaling now is a little bit slower and I enjoyed using the turbo fins, but I also don't wanted to waste my money more than reasonable.
I have repeated this as it got buried in another thread.
Have other had this problem or is mine just a bad batch and is there a simple cure?.... Pirate

Mine developed a tear but only after hitting several logs and bending the mast. After straightening the mast it still used to frequently slip and poke through the hole that tore in the fin In an effort to keep from buying new fins I tried tightening the fin to the mast with the brass knurled nut at the top of the in. They don't have as much flex now but I haven't had an issue with it after that and haven't seen any performance issues with them being that tight. (I've put at least 200 miles of pedaling on them since.)

My situation is a little different because I hit something but, to make a long story short- maybe too much flex or slack in the fin makes it susceptible to tearing. If it's all ready torn, I'd try cranking them down on the mast before you go out and buy new ones.

It worked for mine.

Mike

After a year of abuse in the everglades and the oyster bars of Chokoloskee I had the fins tear on the leading edge. It sometimes happens when the tips of the fins are just kissing the bottom and you can hardly tell while you are pedaling. Anyway I ordered a new pair and while waiting I remounted the old pair and covered the affected areas in a generous coating of plumbers good. Six months later they are still going strong and they are the fins I give to newbies when I take them out.

Thanks for that. Plumbers Good is??......Pirate

Tear-aid as shown in the catalog.

According to roadrunner this works.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=11754

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Matt Miller
Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Hobie Cat USA

I have some wide waterproof fibreglas tape. Would placing about
six inches on the leading edge of the fin help to protect from
'strike/mast punctures'? I have used it on paddle cracks as
a temporary fix and it never came loose.

Pirate, sorry you're having a problem.

The fin can ride up and down the mast a small amount if if it has the room to do so. Presumably your wear is at the tip of the mast, not slightly further up the mast where it would be more indicative of striking something (here the fin frequently stretches first before any hole is made).

Check your mast tip and make sure there are no burrs chewing out your fins, especially from the screw slots. You might also flush your fins well and make sure everything is nice and clean inside.

Finally, a bit of silicon spray can help them rotate freely if appropriate.

If everything else looks good and this is just happening with one fin, I would suspect the possibility of a a thin spot from an air bubble in the molding process (haven't actually heard of it happening though).

Pirate,

On our recent "Attack of the rudders" camping trip, I ruined my ST Turbo fins. I think it was the way Quirkster suggested. As I headed into East Clubhouse to replace my rudder pin, there is a wide stretch of muck (Everglades cement) extending out from shore, before the water gets deep enough to use the fins. I'm afraid I was finning the muck on approach to shore w/o knowing it--maybe just an inch or 2 (25-50 cm). That may have been enough for each mast to break through at the tip.

I've hit oyster bars w/ only scratches and cuts. Unknowningly finning on a shallow bottom may spell disaster for Turbo fins.

I'll definitely be much more careful next time in shallow situations.

Keith

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I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

I inspected my turbo fins yesterday, and one of them has a 6 mm split, right near the top (hull). This is very unlikely to have been caused by contact other than the fins hitting the hull on the stoke end.

Geoff.

i used cable ties to fix up an old pair of st fins and they worked well for ages. thread through fin and around mast

I launch from an inlet surrounded by rocks full of barnacles. On occasion, if the swell is particularly difficult, it is possible to scuff one or two of the rocks. Normally, it's not a problem.

I had the ST Turbo fins only a few days and managed to hit one of the rocks tearing the side of both fins. Ordering a spare wasn't that easy and so I had to try to figure a fix. I managed to straighten the pins and then I carefully applied a series of masking and electrical tape. To my amazement, the fins have worked perfectly ever since and that was one year ago. Luckily, I have managed not to hit any other rocks.

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Better to be a live donkey than a dead lion!