Rudder pins for 2008-09 AI which is new one?

Just broke the last of my original rudder pins. They are solid black with the "D" head for the Twist-n-Stow rudder. I remember Hobie designed a beefed up stronger rudder pin and made it a different color, gray perhaps?

Anyway, want to order the good stuff, can anybody shed some light on the best rudder pin and if it has a different part number than original.

I know this was a hot topic last year and the search for "rudder pin" results in about a million hits

TIA

Yakaholic

81394001

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

Thank You Matt! You saved me from digging! Wife and I sure have been enjoying both our AIs. Even after all this time the Islands still provide a great deal of fun. The magic has never worn off

Yakaholic

I have broken two of the black pins while sailing in pretty good wind and waves a bit too far out for comfort. On both occasions I had to bungee my paddle to the cross arm and use that as an emergency rudder to get back ashore.

I replaced these finally with a 3.5" 1/4' stainless steel bolt inserted through two viynal/plastic 5/16 bushings. To get the head of the bolt to fit at the top of the rudder assembly i had to grind the head of the bolt. I used a lock nut at the bottom, however the bolt is a bit too long so you also have to grind some of the threaded end of the bolt down.

The plastic bushings protect the bronse rudder pin housing from the harder stainless steel. The plastic bushings I got at the hardware store have flanges on one end and that works well to protect the horizontal bearing points of the bolt head and locknut from the softer system parts on the top and bottom.

You never tried the grey ones? These have been available for several years. Much stronger.

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

I just got the boat this year and it came with an extra pin. No ready replacement so I jury rigged. I'll try the grey pin, although the stanless steel bolt with bushings wont fail. I am cautious however that too strong of a fitting may shift problems to another weaker part of the steering system. For example the tiller post is wearing down the hole into which it fits in the hull. No bushings there between the steel post and the plastic of the hull. Any ideas to fix that? Maybe a steel plate with a vertical steel tube that extehnds down into the boat?

That is our concern. The pin is designed to fail before causing damage to the hull. The hole in the hull may become enlarged. I suppose it is possible to sleeve, but I wouldn't drill out to make room. Better to use as is that remove hull material.

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