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PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 6:00 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:49 am
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I have a 2020 camo outback and toward the end of last summer in the northeast the rudder was loose. I would tighten the screw at the top of the rudder assembly (where the rudderline screws are located) Once tight the rudder was difficult to move, I would need to back off on the screw a couple of turns to loosen the rudder. Then over time the rudder would start to wobble as i peddled the kayak.

Any suggestions on a remedy for this?

(Not sure how to post an image, I would have attached an image of the screw in question)


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:30 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
Loc Tite?

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


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:44 pm 
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Matt, I will give that a try. Does Hobie have a diagram of the rudder assembly? Is that the only screw that holds the rudder assembly on the kayak?


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 4:02 pm 
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Location: Oceanside, California
Not shown in the diagram, but should be just one in the middle.

https://media.hobie.com/digital_assets/ ... 4y7osp.PDF

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


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PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 10:29 pm 
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On delivery of my 2021 Outback a few days ago, I noted that the rudder was so stiff it could not be moved. Temperature of the kayak was about 43 F so it would not be high tension in the control lines since they would have been adjusted in production in a warmer environment. I called the dealer and he suggested loosening the center screw of the rudder drum. I did this and the rudder system freed up. However, this is NOT an acceptable configuration or fix. You want the rudder drum clamped up to the rudder post by having the center screw properly torqued. Otherwise that joint will wear with continued use of the rudder system.

What I noticed was as the rudder drum screw was tightened, the system became very hard to move. It appeared that the rudder drum was binding on the upper rudder bearing plate. I communicated with Hobie support what my issue was. He sent me a photograph of the lower rudder bearing plate riding on the shell locating tabs. I didn’t have that but I noted that the lower bearing plate was not seated in the shell recess properly. The bearing plate was larger than the recessed area. I filed off the 2 little tabs allow the bearing plate to seat per design. There is no issue with tab removal per Hobie in my situation. I reinstalled the rudder and there was less binding of the system but still not right.

My analysis determined that the rudder post needed to be slightly longer to prevent the clamp up of the rudder drum when the screw is tightened. I fabricated a shim to match the top profile of the rudder post and bonded with super glue. By trial and error and multiple removals of the shaft to fine tune shim thickness to minimize vertical play in the rudder shaft and not get a binding condition with the screw torqued, the system now works smoothly when the cables are adjusted correctly. My guesstimate on shim thickness would 0.045. It didn’t take much.

What I do find amazing is how much rudder cable tension is affected by temperature. I adjusted the cables with kayak temperature at 43 F. The next day with the kayak at 53 F, the system was a bit stiffer. I will adjust the cables again this spring before putting in the water. I have the same thermal experience on rudder cables on my Old Town Topwater PDL. Nature of the plastic beast.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:19 pm 
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@rpeterson53
"What I do find amazing is how much rudder cable tension is affected by temperature. I adjusted the cables with kayak temperature at 43 F. The next day with the kayak at 53 F, the system was a bit stiffer. I will adjust the cables again this spring before putting in the water. I have the same thermal experience on rudder cables on my Old Town Topwater PDL. Nature of the plastic beast."

It's for this exact reason with temperature variation, the rudder BOA makes all the difference in the world......the PA's have had this as a standard item since 2014 and IMHO, 90% of Hobie's should have this as a standard feature.

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Hood River, OR


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 3:11 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 7:20 am
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Location: Bulgaria
That's how I solved this problem on my Outback.


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