2015 Outback fixes

I received the 1st 2015 Outback in town, I love it.
I have had it out enough to find some issues I have had to deal with, here are the things I think I should share.
The seat is noisy, some Dry lube (wax, silicone, etc. NOT WD-40) should work to remedy this issue.
Next is the Mirage drive, my drive had a lot of "slop" while in the well. I cut 2 pieces of thin rubber hose that fit over the feet (the hose is a little loose fitting), that stopped the knocking noise.
I like to stand up, not really all that stable to stand up and cast/fish from. I purchased the Ama outriggers. The best accessory I have bought for my Kayak.

Be safe out there, wear your PFD!

explain more about the slop in the drive and the rubber hose placement pls.

This applies to my 2015 Outback.
Where do I start, my Mirage drive would clunk at the end of each stroke (move around the well seat). As you can guess, the fish don't like noises they're not familiar with. I decided to see if I could tighten the play of the mirage drive inside the well. I happened to have a piece of automotive rubber hose that fit over the feet of the drive. The hose is kinda loose on the foot, could fall off easily. I put a piece of hose on each foot, voila tight fit. I didn't force anything. Dropped right in, came right out, just as the Dr. ordered. Moved over to my wife's Revo (2014), the drive on this kayak wasn't as loose. I was able to tighten it up using only 1 hose piece. I 1st put 2 pieces on the Revo, but it didn't want to seat in the mount.

The slop in the Mirage Drive is caused by the whole unit rocking in the well. The front and back of the base does not rest completely against the 2 plastic ledges of the hull in the bottom of the well. This can cause the whole unit to rock slightly forward and backward when peddling. If you hold both pedals while the unit is engaged in the well and move it forward and backward, you might find that you have a little slop. That slop makes the small knocking noise when peddling. I ended up cutting small "half oval" pieces of padding and gluing them on the top of those small plastic ledges. Takes care of the issue.

_________________
Steve Stubbs
USAF (retired)

SeaDek Fishing Team
Unfair Lures Pro Staff
Ziptailz Ambassador

2015 Pro Angler 14 - Papaya
2018 Compass - Sea Grass

Fyi... "Slop" is required due to manufacturing variances. Without this, the drives might not lock into the well on some boats. The drive tips forward while pedaling... forces are typically forward, so should not pull back and "klunk" under normal pedaling. This only really happens on dry land simulations. Klunks sometimes are from over pedaling... to the stop when the masts hit the hull at the end of the stroke. Adjust pedals further away from the user to limit end of stroke.

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

Matt...I agree 100%. You have to have those variances. And I'll bet it varies with each kayak as well. Welcome back!

_________________
Steve Stubbs
USAF (retired)

SeaDek Fishing Team
Unfair Lures Pro Staff
Ziptailz Ambassador

2015 Pro Angler 14 - Papaya
2018 Compass - Sea Grass

I disagree with this remark "should not pull back and "klunk" under normal pedaling." My mirage drive moved more than a 1/4" each way, front and back.

That has to be based on pedal style... normal pedaling is forcing the drive forward. I have never experienced the klunk described here due to rocking fore and aft while pedaling.

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

I just purchased my 2015 Outback, and noticed the noise referenced on my first trip out. I simply moved the pedal adjustment one click away from the seat so now my natural pedal stroke stops just before I run out of pedal. The rocking of the mirage drive (and the clunk that it caused) immediately disappeared leaving a near silent pedaling experience......

I'm with WildSide Outfitters on this: first couple of times out, I had a modest drive "clunk", and didn't have enough experience to know if that was normal or not. Adjusting the length of pedal stroke quieted it all down.

...can't say if this experience applies to the situation of the original poster, so I would be sure to periodically check all related hardware fittings for proper orientation and secure attachment...

I did exactly same thing...

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François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017