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Should You Lube Mirage Drive Mast Fin Mast?
http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=71158		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  pcove [ Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Should You Lube Mirage Drive Mast Fin Mast?
Should the Mirage drive fin mast be lubricated? I would guess yes, so that the fin rotates more easily around the mast. I think this would provide better performance.

If so, what lube is recommended?
Author:  yaw_string [ Tue Oct 17, 2023 4:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Should You Lube Mirage Drive Mast Fin Mast?
I strongly doubt it; you don't want anything thick that attracts particles promoting a grinding action. Oil guidelines below omit it:
Author:  Roadrunner [ Wed Oct 18, 2023 7:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Should You Lube Mirage Drive Mast Fin Mast?
pcove wrote:
Should the Mirage drive fin mast be lubricated? I would guess yes, so that the fin rotates more easily around the mast. I think this would provide better performance.

If so, what lube is recommended?
Silicon spray works well after occasionally removing the fins and wiping the mast down. That by itself probably won't make a big difference in performance though. Depending on your drive, if you can loosen the clew so the fins have more freedom to rotate, that will make a noticeable performance difference.
Author:  pcove [ Thu Oct 19, 2023 12:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Should You Lube Mirage Drive Mast Fin Mast?
Roadrunner wrote:
pcove wrote:
Should the Mirage drive fin mast be lubricated? I would guess yes, so that the fin rotates more easily around the mast. I think this would provide better performance.

If so, what lube is recommended?
Silicon spray works well after occasionally removing the fins and wiping the mast down. That by itself probably won't make a big difference in performance though. Depending on your drive, if you can loosen the clew so the fins have more freedom to rotate, that will make a noticeable performance difference.


Thanks Roadrunner. I had been thinking this way, and now have another reason to lube the mast: to prevent rust damage. I had bought an older Revolution 13, partly because it had turbo fins. I had to straighten the mast a couple times and the last time the mast cracked. Looking closer I could see several rust pock marks mainly around the mast base region. I am guessing that salt water got in to the mast base area and was not easily cleaned out when washing the drive unit. The rest of the unit's stainless parts looked good, so it had been getting washed. So now I am thinking it good to use a thin Silicone spray on the mast, but at the base use some paste 3m silicone (great stuff) to seal the base portion. Then every so often remove the fin, thoroughly clean the mast, relube and reinstall. Maybe this is a bit over the top OCD, but seems like a good idea.[/img]
Author:  yaw_string [ Fri Oct 20, 2023 5:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Should You Lube Mirage Drive Mast Fin Mast?
pcove wrote:
but at the base use some paste 3m silicone (great stuff) to seal the base portion.

I keep having longer posts discarded due to a security logout. But anyway will point out that not only salt corrodes SS, but fresh water. Dry air exposure creates a protective layer of chromium oxide. That is it's secret and may be compromised by imperfect sealing up. Even the term silicon can be misleading because whether paste or spray the carrier or solvent can be quite different and not do what you want.
Author:  pcove [ Sat Oct 21, 2023 9:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Should You Lube Mirage Drive Mast Fin Mast?
yaw_string wrote:
pcove wrote:
but at the base use some paste 3m silicone (great stuff) to seal the base portion.

I keep having longer posts discarded due to a security logout. But anyway will point out that not only salt corrodes SS, but fresh water. Dry air exposure creates a protective layer of chromium oxide. That is it's secret and may be compromised by imperfect sealing up. Even the term silicon can be misleading because whether paste or spray the carrier or solvent can be quite different and not do what you want.


Interesting. I had read recently about being careful with spray silicone due to the carrier material possibly causing issues. The recommendation (as I recall) was to spray and let it sit for a while (a few minutes???) so the carrier evaporates.

I have a can of 3M paste lubricant. So I checked the MSDS and it states these chemical ingredients:
POLY(DIMETHYLSILOXANE)
SYNTHETIC AMORPHOUS SILICA, FUMED, CRYSTALLINE FREE
DIMETHYL SILOXANE, REACTION PRODUCT WITH SILICA

Don't see anything petroleum based, which can be bad for rubber. They all have SILO or SILICA in the name. I don't know if any of these are bad for rust prevention.
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