Discontinuuation/obsolescence of V1 Mirage Drives

I have just been told by my local dealer (the only one in NZ?!) that Hobie has announced the discontinuation of V1 drives/drive parts.

I have two 'hybrid' V1/V2 drives that I have created so that I could benefit from the best features/avoid the worst features of the two versions.

The parts that Hobie lists as "V1" are in some cases replacements for an earlier version - which perhaps should be referred to as V0 - this had stainless steel sprockets and the fin-masts installed in them using split pins - later V1+ drives have plastic sprockets and either "set screw" or "screw in" fin-masts.

The first drive (the first one I ever bought and still going strong after years of abuse) was a V0 drive which I partially 'upgraded' by adding newer drums so as to benefit from easier cable replacement and adjustment that result from the improved chain assembly routings. I kept the bottom half of the drive as original with V0 stainless steel sprockets and finmasts that install with split pins because these are so much quicker, easier and less costly to maintain, especially at sea.

The second is a V2 drive that I partially 'downgraded' by swapping out the 'setscrew' sprockets (called V1 in the parts catalogue) and replacing them with the original finmast sprockets (V0) in which the finmast is installed using a split pin. I kept the upper half of this drive as original because it already benefited from the newer drums and chain/cable routings.

Why did I go to the expense and hassle of doing all this?

Well the number one reason was safety at sea. I have learned from experience that the last thing that you want to happen is to have a drive failure at the furthest away point of a 25 mile round trip if this means that you will have to resort to paddling back in a laden kayak against an outgoing tide, in the dark through shipping lanes (this happened to me ONCE!). The ability to do long distances under leg power that the Mirage Drive gives you becomes a double edged sword if your drive fails and you can't reliably get back to base during daylight hours.

I have done and continue to do many many sea miles in my boats and the number one failure I experience is turbo fin-masts which regularly snap off where they emerge from the fin-mast sprockets ( I currently have four broken turbo fin-masts on my shelf but I have thrown away many many more so this is only a small sample of the total number of fin-masts I have had to replace). I think that this is in no way a reflection of poor design or quality, nor is it a particularly common experience - many people may never experience such a failure - but if you do lots of miles, sooner or later a turbo fin-mast is likely to fail possibly through metal fatigue due to the constant stress of pedalling.

With any of the later incarnations of the sprocket (i.e. Hobie's "V1" onward) it is next to impossible to recover from a fin-mast breakage at sea - that is because the design of the sprockets on these drives makes it almost impossible to remove the broken stub of the fin-mast from the sprocket assembly so as to install a new fin-mast so the only way to get the drive back into operation is to take the whole drive apart: i.e. slacken off one chain/cable assembly sufficiently that you can... knock out the central shaft from the spine, remove the failed sprocket assembly, replace it with a new one remove the fin from the drive, reassemble the drive and then reinstall the fin. On land this is a half hour job... IMO bouncing around in a seaway in your kayak is not the place to be undertaking such a major disassembly reassembly job, with all the potential for small parts to find their way overboard or through the drive-well hole, and this means that with a V1+ drive a simple fin-mast breakage becomes a potentially major issue and an expensive, minimum half an hour fix.

By comparison if I experience a fin-mast failure on one of my drives all I need to do is remove a split pin from the drive (I carry a small pair of pliers) - the stub of the fin-mast will then drop freely from the sprocket, then pull the broken fin-mast out of the fin (does not require me to remove the fin from the drive), replace it with a new one (I always take a spare along with me) and reinstall the fin-mast in the sprocket using a new split pin (again I carry these with me and they cost nothing). I am all done and dusted and back under way again in about three minutes flat. I have had to do this several times, the latest being at the weekend.

So I am very sad to hear that I may no longer be able to buy these V0/V1 turbo fin-masts off the shelf because for me these are a crucial safety feature that allow me to undertake the trips that I do...

...and I am now engaged in trying to buy up all the V0 fin-masts I can find locally!

Can anyone tell me how long they are likely to continue to be available from Hobie (there must be a stock lying around somewhere)?

Also if anyone can provide me with the specification of the metal used in their manufacture so that I can research the possibility of fabricating my own (just a rod with a little hole at one end - so it should be easy enough you would think!) this would be greatly appreciated.

V1 being discontinued is related to drums and chains primarily. Sprockets are interchangeable.

The only other feature of a V1 that could now be remotely considered more robust was the stainless sprockets, but since the V2 threaded sprockets came about and have been improved... that is no longer really the case. All other V2 parts are far superior to older V1 versions. The threaded masts are also superior to the versions only held by a cotter pin.

Chains are gone. The universal mast will still have the cotter hole for some time to come.

Say you needed a V1 chain... There is a conversion kit (81171002) offered that gets you 2 V2 DRUMS, 2 V2 CHAINS, 1 V2 IDLER CABLE, 1 V2 PULLEY PLUS NUTS. You can still use the stainless sprockets and the masts.

V2 drums, cables and chains are FAR SUPERIOR to V1 in every way.

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

Matt, thanks for this info. Much appreciated. I am really pleased to hear that the fin-masts are still going to be available.

What I have is drives with V2 drums and cables because as you say they are far superior. But I really like the ease of maintenance of the V0 fin-masts.

I used to have a drive with set-screw fin-masts but one broke when I was way out to sea leaving me to paddle all the way home and, after I found that I couldn't even get the broken stub out of the sprocket when I got back to land, I decided to install the stainless sprockets on this drive to enable me to fix a broken mast at sea the next time it happened.

To be honest I have never had a drive with screw-in masts: I think they arrived after I had made my decision to downgrade to V0 stainless sprockets. If they really are superior (i.e. If they break less frequently) then I'd be quite happy to go with, them but from what I hear the screw-in masts need to be loctited in to the sprockets to stop them from unscrewing during pedalling... which must make it next to impossible to remove the stub of a broken mast from the socket in the event that a fin-mast does break... and that would entail taking the whole drive apart to install a new sprocket and fin-mast assembly in the event of a fin-mast breakage... not something that I would want to be doing at sea.

Many users are never going to experience a fin-mast breakage and/or if one occurs, will not find themselves too far from a safe shore, but for me, for now, given the locations I use my Mirage Drives to get to, I think I am going to stick to my relatively heavy, relatively sloppy old stainless sprockets and wobbly fin-masts for their ease of replacement for as long as I can and I am really delighted to hear that Hobie Cat will be continuing to supply parts that will let me do so!

Stobbo, you bring up an excellent point -- only the original stainless sprockets have masts that can be realistically replaced on the water. That can be a huge advantage for someone on an extended trip or expedition! When the "V-2" masts occasionally break they usually do so at the sprocket junction and cannot be unscrewed without an extractor (if at all). On the other hand, the newer masts are less likely to break IMO because they are held in place firmly rather than slopping back and forth in the hole as do the original masts.

Keep in mind, the Drive still operates with one fin, although there is quite a bit of "rock and roll" involved that takes a little getting used to, and with obviously reduced thrust. Still beats paddling though. I heartily recommend that anyone anticipating the possibility of doing this to practice it first for about 15 minutes so you know what to expect -- just drop a fin off briefly. It's like remounting a capsized boat -- you don't want your first time to be the actual emergency!

I have over a half dozen of the Mirage Drives. One of them is a V1. The only two things I can say I like better, are the solid pedal arms (bulletproof but perhaps overkill) and the opening for the pitot speed tube (although I guess the various GPS FF and speed devices have made that obsolete as well).

The changes to pedal cranks in the past two years have really made the cranks tougher, so solid ones are now just heavier. Failures were related to material and hardness inconsistencies. Pedal cranks are now thicker (larger margin of strength) and the materials are both more consistent and properly hardened. We don't see failures anymore.

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

No Offense Matt, but I disagree. I just had a peddle shaft break on my 1.5 year old backup drive, I was able to safely return to the beach but that was only because it broke less than a 1/2 mile from shore and the wind was laying down. My older version drive pedal shafts are still going strong after nearly 6 years of constant use. I wish the new shafts were as robust.

We get very few if, any claims, on the more recent cranks, so that is confusing.

If you purchased a drive 1.5 years ago... it is possible you have the older cranks I suppose.

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

Still under warrenty right?

Boats and drives (purchased with a boat) are two years... parts are one, but yes... just ask the dealer to file a claim. If the cranks ARE the latest... we need to know why they would fail, so would be asking for the parts to be returned for inspection also.

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