Compass Rudder Centers to the Right...

Hey there,

Brand new 2025 Compass hasn't even splashed yet, but the rudder mount is puzzling me. It has a centering mechanism rather like a fridge door hinge whereby if you turn it it rises on a slant, so that when you release it it tends to move back to the center on its own under gravity. That's all fine, but this particular one centers off to the right, so that when you release the tiller the rudder always drops down and rotates back to the lowest point, leaving it angled to the right, which I expect would make the kayak always want to turn right unless some left turn input is constantly held by the kayaker.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about, and if this is normal? I plan to throw this thing in the Nanticoke River this weekend and see how it tracks, but thought I would ask first. I have seen lots of discussions about rudder cable tension and flip-up cable tension, but this is completely independent of those - you can disconnect all the cables and this self-centering is still there and still off-center.

Cheers!

Edd

So we've figured it out: the rudder post is too long for this kayak. When fully inserted and the top-plate screw tightened all the way down, there is still almost a half-inch of play up and down for the rudder. Additionally, the rudder up/down line was too tight and so it would pull the rudder post up into the boat whenever the tiller was turned, and pull the rudder to the right of center whenever the tiller was released.

I have no idea if there is supposed to be a gasket at the bottom of the rudder post to fill that excess space between the rudder and the hull, but I found a rubber seal in my garage that was the right size and installed it there. The vertical play in the rudder post was eliminated and now the rudder moves very nicely with no play at all. I plan to inquire at the dealer if this is right or if I need a missing gasket or a new rudder. Retying the up/down line knot closer to the end gave it a bit more slack as well, so that the bungee tensioner isn't always pulling on the rudder anymore.

Anyway, she's a beautiful boat. I think they did a nicer job with the dune camo on this boat than on the older boats I've seen - the colors are more evenly mixed and spread across the hull, rather than having a solid black bow and stern. We hit the Nanticoke with it at slack tide today and had a lovely pedal...tracks straight and goes like stink, so very happy with it.

Has anyone else come across a rudder post that is too long, or do you know if I am missing some sort of gasket for that post? Would be nice if this helps someone else who has the same problem someday, too.

Cheers!

Edd

Have your Hobie dealer fix the problem

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Wouldn't a detailed parts diagram be useful?

All I've found is this: https://media.hobie.com/digital_assets/ ... JlzmhP.pdf

I should have followed up on here sooner, in case anyone else encounters this problem. I dragged the yak to my local dealer and they took a look and got on the blower to Hobie about it. The consensus seems to be that my kayak is a bit short, or "squished." It is not as tall as it should be, so the rudder post is too long and it has almost an inch of vertical play. When the rudder cable pulls one way or the other that force lifts the rudder to the top of its play, but when released the rudder post drops back down to the bottom of its play. The rising and falling rudder really had folks puzzled at first!

Hobie's position (rather predictably) was that there is nothing wrong. I should say that this brand-new kayak appears to be in mint condition and doesn't show any signs of damage or crushing from transit - it may have just come an inch short from the factory. The dealer and I came up with a solution by filling almost all of that play space between the rudder and the underside of the hull with a large black rubber washer sourced at Lowes. It stops the vertical movement of the rudder post and still allows complete rudder operation.

The only problem really is that the rudder squeaks a little when operated, and that can spoil the beautiful silence of the nature you are pedaling through. I keep meaning to put some lithium grease or other lubricant down there to make that go away, but haven't got around to it yet. Have put a full season-and-a-half on the kayak since then and all has been good. Cheerio! Edd