Mirage Drive Phobia and Solution

Hello, my name is Vetgam. I suffer from Mirage Drive Phobia. It started 3 years ago when sailing 6 miles offshore I caught a fish and began peddling the mirage drive hard. Suddenly the drive cocked to the left and was jammed in the mirage well clamps. It took me 30 minutes to free the drive. Since then it happens about every other trip on the water and I fear one day I will not be able to free the drive. Now I sail in fear. It is interfering with my sleep, my job and relationship with others.

I went to my local dealer and it turns out I am not alone. Others suffer from this problem and the best part is that it can be cured with a minor procedure. Shawn at ACK in Houston was the person who has come up the fix. His theory is that either the distance between the mirage clamps is changing over time or parts wear and the mirage drive is no longer perfectly snug in the drive clamp. His solution was to drill a screw at a strategic location in only one of the two drive clamps. I doesn't mater which one but ONLY one. Now the drive goes in easy, and is stable. I will be testing it on the water today and report back. Here are some pictures before and after the mod.

BEFORE:



AFTER:



Hoping to get my life back.

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Greg

2016 AI - Spinn & Jib

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.”
– Charles G. Davis

Sailed with the modified mirage clamps today and they they'd the drive very stable the whole day. This was the perfect fix. Simple, cheap and effective. By the way, I added the upgrade kit to this mirage drive for about $140 as well. I was nervous about whether the glide technology was going to be worth it. I can feel the difference. I kept lifting the drive out to see if my fins were both still there. It almost feels like they're missing.

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Greg

2016 AI - Spinn & Jib

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.”
– Charles G. Davis

A friend with an AI1 came up with a very simple solution. He believed that the drive was coming out on one side because the release lever was moving enough to allow the jamming to occur.

He simply attached two short thin bungees to the black fitting on the front wall, with hooks which attached to the release levers. He hasn't suffered from a spontaneous jamming since.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

pls. vetgam tell me more about this upgrade and the differences

SI, by differences, I assume you mean the before and after. This is NOT a modification to make if you are not having issues with you mirage drive. The problem it fixes is an issue where you will be peddling along and suddenly your drive cocks to one side and then when you go to reposition it, you realize that it can't be straightened up or pulled out of the drive well. If you man handle and force the mirage drive long enough you will likely free it but it can take 15- 30 minutes of forcing it free. Meanwhile your concerned about doing permanent damage to the hull trying to free it.

The screw apparently removes the slight play in the drive that have developed over the life of the boat. I did not have this problem in the first year I had the boat. The screw is place in an area that never gets seen. The stability of the drive is immediately felt after the mod. Now when you peddle that drive does not have that mild lateral rocking instability and I expect that I have seen the last of the locking up. It makes no difference in the ease of inserting the mirage drive or removing it. In fact, my first impressions are that it inserts and locks in place quicker and in the first try each time. I hate to modify my boat permanently but this ones worth it if you having this issue. The screw is not going into the hull so there is no permanent hull modification. You can always replace the drive clamp should you have a change of heart.

_________________
Greg

2016 AI - Spinn & Jib

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.”
– Charles G. Davis