Rudder Handle Feels Sketchy

Hey everyone--hoping to get some advice from an expert/technician. Yesterday on the Chesapeake I noticed my rudder started to feel kinda flimsy. Not ideal when you're a couple miles out.

Two questions:

1) What's wrong here?
2) What's the best way to get it fixed?

I captured a video of the problem-

You did not mention which Hobie model your kayak is, but the very last frame looks like a PA???
If it is, have you tightened the rudder BOA line tensioner, to reduce the "slop" in the rudder lines that run across and under the deck?

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Sorry, it's a 2014 PA. And I've adjusted the tensioner knob.

It looks like the twisting is caused when that steel assembly piece hits the black plastic bumper. It causes the handle to twist to the side a little bit. I have rudder controls on both sides...and this issue exists in both of them, but certainly much more on one side to the other.

Is having some wobble in the rudder handle normal? Is it supposed to be twisting on another axis when I turn it?

I have a 2013 PA-14 with dual steering too and I retrofitted the BOA tension device as your 2014 has.

I would think that maybe the set screw, holding the handle to the shaft has come loose.....remove/pry off the "Hobie round decal" covering the set screw and check it....if loose, apply a small amount of Blue Loctite to the set screw threads and then re-tighten it......replace the round decal over the screw.

One thing I have found with the BOA tensioner is when adjusted on a cool morning, the rudder lines continue to tighten up as the hull warms up and expands.....I readjust/loosen the BOA to compensate for the expansion.....And lastly, once my PA-14 is on the trailer, I always fully release the BOA tensioner for storage and drop down the rudder so the pulleys are no longer under tension/strain.....Just remember to retract the rudder prior to launching the next time out.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

The set screw was definitely part of the problem. I tightened it down and that helped things a little bit.

Does your rudder handle twist sideways when it hits the bumper limit? If that's normal (to some degree) then it's not an issue. But it doesn't *feel* like it should be doing that.

No, not that I notice......I wonder if the spring needs to be stretched some and possibly the BOA tension was too tight that caused the spring to compress???

Maybe Matt Miller can chime in on this question....

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

When the handle twists on the wrong axis it almost seems like there's a bushing missing in the handle which gives it a loose/wobbly feeling. In the video you can see it twisting the waye I describe.

Definitely interested to hear if there's a way to mitigate this since it does seem like it could develop into a much larger problem out on the water.

Since you PA-14 is a 2014 model, it's still under the Hobie two warranty..I would call your dealer and take it to them for an evaluation and remedy/fix if needed.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR