2008 Outback

Salutations Brethren,
I just got home with a 2008 Outback for my 14 year old daughter "Mudpuppy". Before I rigg it up, can anyone fill me in on any idiosyncrasies
That this boat might have? I have been advised not to use the turbo fins lest i risk cracking the hull. Really, there's no workaround for this?
The Outback is the newest addition to my plastic armada. The original color of Hibiscus red now appears sun drenched orange but other than that everything else is in perfect condition. I would really appreciate any advice anyone would like to share. I've already upgraded tothesailing rudder., have many Yak Attack & Ram Mount accessories to attach. I trust in your experience, thanks.

WaterDog . 2013 PA 14
MamaDog. 2015 PA 12
Muddpupp. 2008 Outback

Apparently it is actually orange.. 2008 Hank Parker Outback fish. Will I have a problem with using Turbo fins on the old V1 Mirage drive or by dropping in my PA´s V2 Turbo fin drive? Not something that I want to learn the hard way but I will

Older hulls are not as strong as newer ones and it would be wise sticking to standard or ST fins to reduce risk of cracking drive wells. The V1 drive itself is not as strong as the V1 and turbos could possible over strain that drive especially if it is already worn. Newer drives have alignment pegs on them and you will see the cut out of older hulls is different as there is no "notch" to accomodate them. So they wont fit straight in. You can cut the pegs off and it wont make any difference, but you may not want to do this if the newer drive is not meant as a permanent replacement.

if you do drop a newer drive with turbos in just dont give it a hammering, and you should be fine.

I think your fourteen year old daughter would find the ST fins perfect. They are almost as efficient as the Turbos and as easy to push as the old Standard fins. Then too, Turbos are only a potential problem if you push them to their full capability on a frequent basis. Any damage usually shows up in the form of cracked Cam Columns. These can be reinforced or repaired in most cases (the search feature has info on this topic).


Cracked cam column


Healthy cam columns. Photo from SeadOnkey

I have some older and newer boats also and I cut the alignment pins off all the newer Drives so I can use them in any of the boats. The pins are non-structural and were added to keep new users from inserting the Drives incorrectly. Without the pins it is possible to install the Drive tilted forward, possibly resulting in a ripped rear fin. An experienced user would recognize the mistake immediately since the pedals would be in the wrong position. Older hulls (pre-Click N Go) had slightly different drivewells and this was not an issue.

Thanks for the info. I'll keep it in mind and inform all that end up using the Outback. After all I think that my buddys are more excited about the Outback than my daughter is.