Twist and Stow Rudder Pin

Hello, I am a new Hobie Outfitter owner and a new poster to this list. After owning it for about a month, I have broken the rudder pin. This is the "Twist and Stow" rudder. My dealer indicated the pin is the weak link in the system designed to fail first and save damage to the rest of the system. Sounds fine but the replacement is not something that can be done easily. The dealer gave me a generous supply of spare pins but I wonder what would give first if I replaced the plastic pin with an aluminum one. I have never had a rudder equipped boat that did not have some sort of kick up or easily replaced feature in the system.

So my question is if anyone has experience with this issue and what the ramifications are of a stronger rudder pin.

Thanks in advance for help in this matter.

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Keith Dersham

The pins should have a "D" shaped head to help pass the control lines making installation pretty easy.

You can use a stronger material, just be careful about backing into things with the rudder down.

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

My pin has a "flattened mushroom" head and the "up and down" lines interfere with the removal of the pin, hence the concern about field repairs. There is no good way to grab the top of the pin without the possibility of damaging the control lines and passing the pin by the lines is difficult. Thanks for the quick reply.

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Keith Dersham

Just cut a portion of the head off so it looks "D" shaped and it's easy to pop off clearing the lines. Dykes (Diagonal Cutting Pliers) work well for this.

Kayaking Bob

Has anyone experienced negative results from replacing the plastic rudder pin with an aluminum one?

Thanks

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Keith Dersham

No I haven't and I am not one that will press this issue. Listen to the expert guidence.

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Tim
'09 Adventure, Golden Papaya, Turbo Fins, Large Sailing Rudder, Turquoise Sail, Grey Haired Kayaker, ...

Has anyone replaced a plastic rudder pin with aluminum? I understand that backing a rudder into anything will damage it, but I wonder if anyone has done this and wished they hadn't. Thanks!

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Keith Dersham

It turns out the replacement pins have a difference that makes the replacement much less of a problem. In a reply post, Matt referred to a "D" shaped pin. I could not understand that. It turns out the replacements have a "D" shape when looking from the top. This makes removal and passing the rudder lines much easier. The original pin had a round head.

What a cool boat! Money well spent. I am looking foirward to using the Outrfitter this winter in the Florida Keys.

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Keith Dersham

Seems I read on the KFS forum that some people were replacing the bin with a rhreaded bolt of the proper dia and length. Matt Miller commented on that but I don't remember what he said. Perhaps he will chime in here.

The pins are a safety factor. Damage to the hull or rudder assembly from using a non standard pin would not be considered a warranty situation.

Keep your paddle on the boat when you go out. You can steer using the paddle if you do fail a pin.

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