What type of lubricant for Hobie Mirage Drive?

I recently bought a 2021 Hobie Compass and have two 2022 Hobie Compass ordered. I need to determine how to maintain the Mirage Drives. We will likely use them both on saltwater and freshwater. We won't use them constantly. Probably once a month or so.

I have read MANY threads, both on this site and others, on how to lubricate the Mirage Drive. Many of those threads were older. There seem to be a lot of difference of opinion.

It seems like the ONE thing that there was complete consensus on is to thoroughly rinse the mirage drive with fresh water after each use. That is easy enough.

Many suggest fairly regularly lubricating a handful of points on the Mirage Drive including the chains. There are videos showing where to lubricate, so there doesn't seem to be differences of opinion there. The question is what to use for lubrication? It sounds like Hobie at one time recommended WD-40. Some suggested WD-40 was NOT a good idea because it is primarily a solvent and will break down the grease that is inside the Mirage Drive. That seems reasonable and seems like it would apply to any lubricant similar to WD-40, including Break Free CLP (another product many seem to use) which has a solvent as a major component. I think the solvent is meant as a cleaner, and I think the main goal of lubricating the Mirage Drive would be lubrication. Some mentioned using Silicon spray lubricant, but others suggested that washes off almost immediately.

Hobie now sells a multi-purpose lubricant. However, I seriously doubt that is any better than other products on the market. I don't mind paying Hobie's premium prices for their kayaks and accessories, but I don't really want to buy their rather expensive lubricant. They also make a big deal out of their product being environmentally friendly. I don't want to hurt the environment, but I really don't think the lubricant I use on my Mirage Drive is going to hurt the planet. I don't want to compromise the protection of my Mirage Drive to use something marketed as environmentally friendly.

Would something like gun oil (like Hoppe's No. 9 Oil) or a Synthetic Gun Oil (like Break Free Performance Synthetic Gun Oil) be best to maintain the Mirage Drive. It seems like it can easily be used for most of the lubrication points Hobie's videos suggests. I don't know whether it would work well on the chain or not (though maybe you can find it in a spray bottle that would be good for the chain).

Is there a generally accepted best lubricant solution as of 2022? Something that lubricates and protects well but does not harm the grease in the Mirage Drive?

Like a doctor, your top priority is not to treat (eg lube) but to do no harm (avoid attracting grit). Thus the beauty of wd40, but here is a high tech contender.

https://www.treadbikely.com/boeshield-t-9-review/

I found another thread with some good observations:

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6320

With the very light use you are describing, probably any lube (each with their pluses and minuses) will leave it looking as pristine as mine after umpteen years of rinsing and wd40. In my case the rinsing wasn't so obvious. It was a while before i noticed there was a pocket which strained and trapped floating debris. Blast a jet of water straight down between the pedal hubs and you may see a clump of seagrass stalks or the like reluctantly jump out.

I was shown what happens to an unrinsed mirage drive used in warm ocean - it looked like some fragment of space junk that had blazed thru re-entry. It was used by a mega celebrity renowned for responsibility and wisdom, or more probably their kids and hangers on.

I used Boeshield on my Mirage Drive for many years, because that wax-based lubricant works well for me as a bike chain lubricant. But then I had to take apart my drive to do some maintenance, and discovered that the Boeshield had created a hard layer of gunk on the main shaft of the drive and the hole it sits in, which was holding grit and had abraded the shaft. Cleaning off the gunk was quite a hassle. So I recommend that you not use Boeshield. I have pictures of the mess, and when I have time to deal with the inconvenient task of posting the pictures on a third-party website, I'll get the pictures posted here. (Administrators: when are you going to upgrade this forum so pictures can be posted easily?)

Holy Crap!!! The Dalai Lama paddles Hobies?!?!??!?

A little more divisive than that, and rich. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because wealthy voyagers on a sailing yacht I was crewing would treat my personal water sports equipment as disposable. They would borrow it without permission and trash it, or abuse it without even using it.

I guess to me and maybe others so obsessed with getting the perfect lube solution, we treat the mirage drive as the rich do their supercars. It is a symbol of extravagant engineering and unprecedented capability in our favorite leisure pursuits. However supercars are all about look-at-me posing, while we kayakers seem on a more noble path.