Hobie Outback Rudder line

We used black monofilament line before we changed to spectra in the 2001 model year. I do not recall ever using wire, but maybe the first Classic (fiberglass hulls) could have used something different. I can't find anyone here that remembers using wire in production.

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

I thought my 2000 Tandem (Oasis) had stainless wire as well. Upon re-examination, it uses a stiff black monofilament as Matt says. Sure had me fooled. I like the spectra much better!

Chris (kayak guy at the shop) was telling me his Mirage came with wire, which he ended up replacing just after I started at Mariner a little over 4 years ago. I think his yak is 7 years old. All I've ever seen is the Spectra.

Of course, I've slept since then. So maybe he was talking about some other brand. My yak (cough, cough... not a Hobie) has stranded SS rudder lines.

Anyway.... We all agree that the Spectra is good stuff.

Brian C

I had this fray problem also (my own fault the kayak slid off a stand onto the rudder and then to the floor). Lucky to only damage the line, but I fixed it temporarily with a needle and thread (#30 power pro) and a little super glue. seems to be working fine so far.. I found this discussion because I was looking for spectra size, to replace it. Spectra of all sizes can also be found on the internet at many of the traction kite shops.

I am brand new to this forum and am looking for additional info on the Spectra line replacement. My Outback SUV has a little fraying on the steering lines for the Twist and Stow rudder. My local Hobie dealer has ordered me the Spectra by itself (not the kit with tubing, etc.) and should be in soon. After looking at some of the images here it looks as if I may need some kind of crimp ferrule and crimp tool. I may be overlooking it, but I have not seen drawings or images for the STEERING lines other than the ones outside the kayak on the twist and stow rudder itself. I do not know if bungees are used that require the Spectra to be looped and crimped with a ferrule (as is the case for the up/down control line). Having said all of that I guess I could take mine apart and see, but figured I will ask about the ferrules since it will be a few days before I can get to it. If there are ferrules is there a special crimper to crimp them?

UPDATE: Using a mirror I was able to confirm there are definitely crimp ferrules on the two Spectra lines going to the steering lever.

Thanks

Hey Titan2,
Welcome to the Hobie Forum. Here are a couple of shots I took inside the hull of the Hobie Sport showing how the rudder up/down control lines hook up inside the hull, as well as showing the arrangements of the ferrules.





I was mainly concerned with the uncovered tips of the of the self-tapping screws, and how one might protect the Spectra lines from abrasion using SS machine screws and nuts, as you can see here.

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Thanks Apalach. I saw these photos and they are great, but my issue is with the steering lines rather than the up/down lines. I was able to use an inspection mirror and did confirm the use of crimped ferrules by the steering lever (no bungie though like the up/down lever). I have since looked in the Parts and Accessories Catalog and it looks like they call them Swedges (PN 8063001). Now I just need to find out if there is a special crimping tool to squeeze them or if regular pliers will do the trick. Anyone know?

Titan,
Yep-- you can spend some big bucks for a swaging tool (up to $250 at West Marine!), but you don't need anything like that. An ordinary pair of slip-joint pliers will work fine, if the sleeves or ferrules are light weight. The ones on the Hobie lines seem to be a light-weight copper.

An even better solution might be the combo wire stripper/crimpers designed for use with electrical wire end-fittings. There is a range of prices for these also, but the inexpensive models for about $5-10 at places like Lowe's and HD should work fine for light sleeve crimping. The crimping part of the tool usually has several different size notches for different wire sizes. My guess is that the smaller size crimps will work fine on the Spectra line. However, there is a danger of damaging the sleeve and cutting the enclosed line if you over-pressurize the crimp, so the notches at the tip of the tool come in handy in preventing that. Good luck.
Best,
Dick

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Thanks Apalach ,

I have several of those crimpers already and had considered using them. I was a bit concerned though, because I was not sure how effective they would be. Since the swedges (ferrules) are hard to see inside the kayak I used the brail method to feel how they were crimped. It feels like the entire cylindrical surface area is compressed instead of individual, localized pressure points. That makes me wonder how effective automotive butt splice crimpers would be in the long run. The last thing I want is for the crimp to loosen or fail over time.
Working in the aerospace industry for the last 30 years makes me look for reasons for things to fail and I guess I am over-analyzing it. I wonder if the full replacement kit (80020001) comes with pre-crimped loops.