Anyone break their drive by splitting the sprocket?

What broke is the part referred to in the accessories catalog as the "sprocket". It is the part that the fin rod goes into. It split right down the center of the hole for the set screw and the rear fin rod. I do have the Turbo fins which I am sure contributed to the problem. I bought the boat only one week ago. As with Hobies reputation they jumped on the problem and will have it fixed for me in a day though I am paying extra for overnight delivery of the part. I haven't heard of anyone having had this problem but I haven't scoured the archives either.

Sounds like a defective part. They are the "weak link" in the drive though. If you're using turbos, it wouldn't hurt to keep a spare. The mast holes can elongate and loosen in time with frequent use and should be replaced if you notice it.

I talked with my dealer and he said when I installed the Turbo fins I tightened the set screw to much. Not sure if I take creedance to that but I am going to loosen up the set screw on the wifes Turbo fins just to be sure. He says they only need to get snugged up.

Your dealer is pretty sharp. It is a common mistake to crank down on those Allenhead screws, which pre-stresses the fitting and can lead to early failure.

As you tighten each screw, twist the mast back and forth until the screw allows no more mast movement. The mast should then be locked in place. Inspect your masts and fins from time to time to make sure the screw does not back out.

Here's a maintenance and adjustment checklist to help keep your drive in top condition:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=6418

As Roadrunner said, the mast hole will elongate into an oval if the set screw loosens allowing the mast to wobble back and forth. When that happens, the mast will eventually pull out of the sprocket...no matter how much you tighten the allen screw.

If you're lucky, the mast and sail will hang from the retaining pin on the back side of the sail...if you're unlucky and the pin does not hold, the mast will sink like a rock.

As other people have noted on this site, check those set screws before and after every trip...and keep the correct size allen key with you while on the water!

_________________
"If I'm not at work, I'm Outback"

When can we expect the SS replacement sprockets? Anybody heard anything?

The stainless steel sprocket won't solve the issue. I have one and can't put much pressure on the turbo flippers without hearing the chain popping on the gears and sometimes the chain even jumps teeth. Hobie needs to redesign the unit to handle the added stresses of the turbo flippers.

We corrected the set screw location... that has fixed most issues we were having with sprockets failing.

Beyond that, the engineers are looking at options to make them more fool proof.

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

Same thing happened to me last night on open water, not cool. I read this thread before my first trip and confident the set screw was not over tightened. I have about 10 trips on this Yak and ran the Turbo fins most of that time. I do not feel that I am hard on the drive and disappointed. I have sent an email to Hobie and waiting for a response. Hopefully, they can fix me up quick as I have a fishing trip planned for this Friday. More importantly, I hope Hobie finds a way to reduce the likelyhood of this happening again. I am glad I had my paddles.

Unfortunately, there will still be sprockets in the field that are more susceptible to failure.

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

Won't the sstl sprokets solve this problem? I think so but like many other things the next weakest part will start to fail. There is no end to this in the real world IMHO.

I havn't failed a sproket on either my Outback or Revo using either the standard fins or the turbo's. Others have failed more then one sproket and female also. Stroooong legs I say.

see previous post

Wheather it was the set screw being too tight or banging it on a rock, I picked up a couple sprockets from my dealer and went to work and my busted drive. Mind you, I am not a complete idiot when it comes to mechanicals but no McGyver either.

I managed to get the drive apart as instructed, lubed the axle, retentioned the chain etc and it worked, except the fins were off center. I repeated the process and carefully placed chain on sprocket and worked backward tensioning each opposite bolt. Fixed. It helps to have a proper vice grip, not needle nose and some patience. Make sure to mark the main axle with a line so the set screw for the axle goes where it should. This could be a problem if not properly inserted, same as the mast.

Now the real test will be on water. Pick up an extra sprocket $11 as well as an extra pin for your rudder as a backup. Hopefully, you won't be replacing yours anytime soon but sure you can handle it. Wrenching and Moding you Yak is satisfying

Well, there goes another and this time it was the rear. I figured I would go back and put on the Turbo fins now that things seemed to be working again. I was careful not to over tighten the set screw and checked to be sure it was properly seated.

My objective, besides catching some Striper, was to try using the drive to get to my destination and then paddle. My theory is that the drive may be spooking some fish and felt that paddling would allow me to be quiter in the water. Also, I was getting a bit bored with the pedaling.

I settled into a nice cruising speed on the way out and did not push the drive to it's limits. On the way back in after paddling most of the trip, the mast fell out. This time I was more prepared and had swaped those stupid rings out that hold the pin in, which are hard enough to get out with dry hands and stable ground with stainless steel cotter pins. I had the factory fin in in about 5 minutes. When I checked the sprocket, it was slightly ovalized after this one short paddle and cracked.

What gives? Am I the only one having a problem with the sprockets and my turbo fins? I may try the stainless steel but getting frustrated. This time I know I did not impact the sprocket(rear) and careful with set screw and how hard I pushed the drive.

Hey Ya'll
I recently finished doing a broken mast and sprocket replacement around three weeks back or so.
The end of my mast broke above the sprocket and left the stub of the broken mast stuck in the sprocket hole. When I was trying to remove the stub it wedged down deeper into the sprocket and then there was no easy way to remove it.
I tried to drill it out then my drill bit slipped and put a hole in the sprocket which meant I now had to replace the sprocket as well as the broken mast. The funny thing was the sprocket had sustained no noticeable damage even though my trailing fin had probably smashed into an old pier post underwater and snapped the mast right off . There was no split or any other noticeable damage to my sprocket which I thought was odd.. Here's the picture..



Anyway the point is I was beginning to notice that after every outing the fins and mast were loose as the set screw kept backing out from the fins twisting the mast back and forth in the hole I guess. So I would tighten them up again before the next trip but the end result was the same..loose lucy and goosey fins and mast when I got back. So I started to look at a fix for this dilema because I could see this was starting to hog out the sprocket hole and so I wound up taking out all the set screws in our tandem mirage drive ( 4 each) and coating the threads with "Blue" Loktite.
Im happy to report that the mast and set screws seem to be still tight and snug after 6 or 7 trips so far. I would suggest anyone try this little fix if they notice the loose mast and set screw problem and even if they dont, try it anyway just in case.
......... Worked for me...Have fun........ Happy Fourth
. Kepnutz

I was told not to use Loctite as it would eat away at the plastic sprocket.

I had my Hobie Dealer call but she was told there are no Stainless sprockets yet. I am going to replace this sprocket and hope for the best until I can get hands on the stainless.

It stinks to have to be concerned about a drive failure every time I go out.