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Tale of woe http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=11416	Page 1 of 2

Author:	chrisj [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 4:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Tale of woe
Launched the shiny new AI this morning. Breeze was a bit fresh, but I figured I could tool around with the sail furled or partially reefed until I got the feel of things. Launched the boat from a small beach, with the Mirage drive out and paddled out for a bit. Thought I would try the Mirage drive and that's when the porridge started hitting the fan. The drive seemed to click into place OK and I pedalled for a few minutes. Then suddenly, the pedals slipped sideways to starboard. I tried to right them, but they were jammed tight, so I couldn't even get the drive out. The wind was freshening at this stage, so I thought I had better paddle back to shore. Unfortunately, the drive was acting like a rudder and heeling the boat around to port. I couldn't get the pedals forward enough to pull the fins up. Using the real rudder to try to balance to drive, I was able to make very slow progress paddling across the wind. To make matters worse, as I got near the beach, it was too shallow to use the daggerboard and I got blown sideways onto rocks. I ended up jumping out and hauling the #*$@&# boat off the rocks and onto the beach. Luckily, I had some old kayak cradles in the car, so I was able to get the hull up on the car with the pedals still sticking up in the air. Went to the local Hobie dealer, where I had picked up my boat the day before and this guy comes out and says "You must be chrisj". The guy turns out to be Stringy. Anyway, Stringy and the dealer jiggle around and manage to free the drive. After putting the drive in and out several times, we found that at times the locking lever was not fully engaging, thus leaving one side of the drive unlocked. The lesson seems to be to check visually that the lever has fully engaged - the drive going in straight and clicking into place is not enough. Neither the dealer nor Stringy had heard of this happening before.

Author:	Aledal [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:46 pm ]
Post subject:	Yep! Tight Fit
Hi-I never had that problem with my AI but I know how tight fitting the drive is. Last week I donned my new survival suit and tried to peddle directly into/against 20-30mph winds&strong tides. Got my butt kicked bad -mother nature just picked me up and threw me back on shore. The thing I forgot was that this is not my Outback or Mirage Classic. The AI weighs nearly twice as much. So its live and learn the limitations of the boat and my own abilities.As good as we think we are-we all panic to some degree when the -#@`X%% hits the fan!!!LOL. I plan on making my own revisions to the boat but nothing sacriligious. Good luck with yours! Jeff

Author:	mmiller [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:53 pm ]
Post subject:
Sounds like the drive may be a net fit fore and aft / left and right when locked into the hull. There should be a little play for and aft (tipping fore and aft) when locked into the click-n-go. a small amount of trim work on the drive spine (I suggest aft end) would correct that if that is the issue. When pedaling against the wind, the big difference on the AI is the surface areas of the amas, akas and 15' tall mast. This additional windage can make pedaling into a strong wind tougher than the main hull alone. If I had to do it... I might drop the mast down and lash it to the akas.

Author:	chrisj [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:05 pm ]
Post subject:
I'm not familiar with the names of the components Matt, but it appears to be the port drum shaft that is a tight fit. The locking lever snaps over it, but on close inspection, it is not going all the way. I have to push the lever forward with some force to make it fully engage. Now that I know about it, I can live with it. It was just a helluva way to find out . Chris

Author:	chrisj [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:17 pm ]
Post subject:
Quote: As good as we think we are-we all panic to some degree when the -#@`X%% hits the fan!!! I didnt panic Aledal. I was OK paddling in the wind until the freakin' drive started pulling me to one side. Not that I think I am great at this stuff and with the wisdom of hindsight, I should have given the boat its first run in ideal conditions. I am used to kayaks which have no moving parts, so nothing much to go wrong. Chris

Author:	Aledal [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:44 pm ]
Post subject:
Sorry Chris- I was really talking about me. No offense.

Author:	chrisj [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:14 pm ]
Post subject:
No offense taken Aledal. I sure would have been panicking if the wind had been 20-30 mph. I would estimate the wind I was in was about 10mph. Chris

Author:	stringy [ Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:42 pm ]
Post subject:
G'Day Chris, As soon as I saw the AI on the Forester I knew it had to be you. I hope Matt agrees with the following: The spine is the main plastic framework of the drive. Your drive had no play fore and aft and I suspected the spine locating tabs ( I did look for sand in the drivewell) but it is good that Matt has confirmed this. A little filing of the aft locating tab as Matt suggests should allow the drive to drop a little lower and bring the click-n-go locking lever over more of the drum shaft. Hope your second trip out went better!!!

Author:	Pirate [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:40 am ]
Post subject:
Sorry to hear your first 'shakedown' cruise shook you to your core Chris. As you know I have only just got mine too as has Mickey my mate, and we have had it on the water a couple of times to date. We went sailing in 10 to 15 knots on the Gippsland Lakes in sunshine and had a really great day together. We both had our dodgers on and without them we would have been continually drenched when sailing into the wind as our Lakes kicks up a short but steep chop very easily. In relation to the Drive mechanism, one thing I have noticed that while sailing it is not that difficult for your feet to accidentally push one of the drive release arms backwards which partially releases the drive on that side which results in a wonky action. Happened to me twice before is became wise to it. Both locking arms must be in the forward position (towards the bow) for the locking mechanism to be properly engaged. Anyway hope there is no damage to your hull when it went on the rocks..Pirate

Author:	chrisj [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:27 pm ]
Post subject:
Hi Matt & Stringy, I whittled away at both the fore and aft drive splines as suggested, but it didn't help. The port locking lever still needs to be forced over the drum shaft, unless I first release the starboard locking lever and push the drive a bit to port. I can then reset the starboard lever with no resistance. I tried putting the drive in with the hull inverted. With it locked in tight, the bottom of the drive is leaning to the left (starboard when upright). I can rock the drive fore and aft as Matt suggested and you can sort of see in the second photo that the aft drive spline is clearing the hull by about 5-6mm (1/4") In the last photo, you can see the right (port) lever is less perpendicular than the lever on the left (starboard). Any suggestions? Chris

Author:	stringy [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:45 pm ]
Post subject:
Hmmm -sorry the filing didn't solve your problem Chris. Doing a bit more research I came across this on the KFS forum. http://kfs.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/ ... 6651087945 I don't like the way the drive is leaning over to one side and I don't think the washer solution in the above link will solve that. Matt???

Author:	chrisj [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:02 am ]
Post subject:
Thanks for that link Stringy. They seem to have pretty much the same problem I do. Incidentally, I tried putting the drive in backward and the problem disappears. I guess I could go everywhere in reverse .

Author:	chrisj [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:10 am ]
Post subject:
Scratch that - the drive sits straight when backward, but the port lever is still stiff - I'm just getting better at manipulating it

Author:	Roadrunner [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:30 am ]
Post subject:
chrisj wrote: With it locked in tight, the bottom of the drive is leaning to the left (starboard when upright). Chris, if you hold your Drive upside down (not in the boat) with the pedals perfectly even, do the fins still lean to one side or do they extend straight up? Do they split, forming a narrow "V' or are they parallel? If they are not straight up and parallel (or close) this can be corrected by adjusting your cables, although it isn't really critical. If this is the case, it shouldn't have any bearing on your seating problem. Is our drumshaft centered (making sure it isn't hitting the stop on the port side)? Does the port locking lever operate freely without the Drive installed?8)

Author:	chrisj [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:00 am ]
Post subject:
Hi Roadrunner The fins are perfectly symmetrical when the drive is out of the boat and the pedals are aligned. The fins form a narrow 'V'. I am not sure what the "stop" is - the drumshaft slides into a metal slot and I can see no obstructions. But!!! while checking it out, I realised that the drumshaft on the port side protrudes maybe 3mm (1/8") further from the drive than on the starboard side. I also note that this was the case with the guy having the same problem on the KFS forum. Hmmmmmmmm. The locking lever operates freely with the drive out. Thanks, Chris

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