09 Rudder control upgrade on a older Kayak

Hi, I have been ready these forms for over a year and think they are great. Learned a lot from this group, and now have a couple of questions.

I just bought two new Sport kayaks for my wife and me. To get the colors we wanted I had to take one kayak as an 09 and the other as a 08. I want to upgrade the 08 with the new style up/down rudder control used on the 09.

My first thought was to use the kit for the Adventure Island but after getting the cost and looking at what is needed I think it would be better to buy just the parts and not the kit. The Cam Cleat Micro Carbo used for the AI adds $23 to the cost of the kit. For the sport I would not need this as I would use the v cleat.

Using the AI instructions and the 09 Parts Catalogue these are the parts I think I would need:

Two - Handles 81408001 $6
One - Up Decal 81406001 $.50
One - Down Decal 81406001 $.50
Two - Pulleys (Cheek Block) H233 $25.50
Six - Screws 8030150 $.60
Six - Washers 8080500 $.60
Six - Lock Nuts 8050211 $3.20
Eight foot - Tubing 81023001 $1.76
Two - End Caps / Holders $.30
One - V Cleat port side 10730031 $4.95

Two parts I could not find are:
Rudder control lines with webbing (should order the ones used for an 09 Sport)
And the plug used to close the rudder control hole from the AI Kit

My questions for the form are:
Am I missing any parts from my list?
What are the part numbers for the control lines and the plug?
Do I need two pulleys or or does the Sport have one all ready?

I should be picking up my new Kayaks in a couple of weeks and would like to have parts ordered before then.

Thanks for your help

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Newbe

Congratulations on your Sports! The parts list sounds pretty good and you'll have a finished example to compare if necessary. Instructions are down-loadable and some excellent installation tips are posted on the forum. The conversion requires 2 cheek blocks -- perhaps there is another Sport at your Dealer you could look at. Or since they're standard Harkin blocks, they should be available at your local marine hardware store if you need an extra.

IMO the conversion, while nice, is totally unnecessary unless you have an Adventure Island. It's needed on the AI to secure the rudder at high sailing speeds that the other boats don't see. I'd recommend trying out the old system before you go to the time and expense of replacing it. I use both systems and with the exception noted, have no preference for one over the other.

I wanted to post a follow up to my rudder control upgrade question.

I picked up the two sports over the weekend and after spending Saturday on one of the local lakes, I got a chance to look at the differences between the 08 and 09 rudder controls. The pieces I listed in my post look to be correct to make the upgrade, or the using a AI kit would also work, but I am not recommending the change for the following reason. The 'up/down' return pulley is to far back and would need to be moved forward, leaving a hole in the hull. You would also have to plug the hole for the control lever, and as any body know holes and boat don't mix.

Now I have not used the 09, it is my wife kayak. I can say that the 08 control works fine, it did pop up once but I may not have had it fully down.

After looking into making this upgrade I got to hand it to Hobie for all the upgrades to the 09 sport and not changing the price. Some thing that does not happen very often to day. Way to go Hobie!!!

Roadrunner, thanks for the advice.

Randy

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Newbe

I had the rudder control upgrade done to my 08 Revo. The dealer did it. I love it. It's very easy to get the rudder down and up even with the big rudder.

My only complaint is the rudder t-handle directions on how to use it... I took it out for the first time last weekend. I got it in the down position. Rudder string in cleat and handle touching cleat as you would THINK. I quickly noticed I couldn't steer it to the right. I ended up dumping the yak (first one of the season) when I hit a dock. I finally figured out to keep it FULLY locked in down position. You need to pull it tight and then lock it in cleat with extra rudder string. I put the handle and string in my mesh pocket. I was surprized that Hobie didn't include a padeye or something for the extra rudder line. and note it in directions. Dealer did forget to tell me too...

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John

Popeye,

What did they charge you for the modification?

im tempted to do it, because when im out sailing in high winds i can feel the rudder kick up and then i get weather helmed hard.

It wasn't bad at all. I believe less than 1 hour of labor. Has anyone else added the new rudder control to an older hobie? I am still wondering if it's normal to have extra rudder line hanging after the cleat.

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John

When the rudder is "locked down", you should have at least 8" of line beyond the cleat that can be put in the pocket.

I like to adjust for the minimum so it starts lowering the rudder as you start pulling, which keeps the line as short as possible.

Kayaking Bob

thanks reconlon...

I still think it should be stated in the upgrade kit directions that there will be extra line in the down position. Additionally, there should be something for storage of extra line (small pocket or cleat of some sort).

What os used on the new models for the line?

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John