Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:58 am

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 9:59 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:44 am
Posts: 159
Location: Boynton Beach, FL
Several of the white plastic ball bearings at the top of the mast collar of my Tandem Island have fallen...
Image

...into the mast cup receiver.

Image

Anyone else notice this issue?

_________________
Marc K
2010 Hobie Tandem Island
Boynton Beach, FL


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:45 am 
Offline
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15026
Location: Oceanside, California
Loosen the bolts on the collar. Re-insert the bearings then fully tension the bolts all around the collar. Again... contact your dealer for assistance if needed.

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


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:45 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 2863
Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
You were lucky you transport your TI right way up mkrawats!
An old problem the AI's had. Shame it's still occurring Hobie. :?
Whenever the mast isn't in I make sure some pool noodle is. :wink:
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=12356&p=68770
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=8149


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 8:32 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:44 am
Posts: 159
Location: Boynton Beach, FL
Sounds like it isn't too difficult to fix.

I doing something incorrectly to cause this issue to occur?
Is this issue of ball bearing falling out of the mast collar normal and happens to most AI/TIs? Or is it a flaw with my specific TI?
I currently maintain the ball bearings by spraying it with McLube SailKote. Is there anything else I can do to prevent this issue from reoccurring?

_________________
Marc K
2010 Hobie Tandem Island
Boynton Beach, FL


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 8:01 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:14 pm
Posts: 3323
Location: South Florida
A couple years ago, the AI people were complaining about this, but I have not heard much recently. I've never had the problem, so, other than keeping the screws tight, can't offer any suggestions.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:31 am 
Offline
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15026
Location: Oceanside, California
The tolerance is pretty slim. The balls should "just" be captured by the two plates. If the gap between the two plates is too small, the bearings will not roll. A little wide and they can pop out. Typical cause was a burr on the plastic at each screw location. If the screws were not fully tensioned or worked loose, the two plates do not come together enough. Some plates may have been damaged from an attempt at sanding off the burrs... sanded off a bit of the lip in error.

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


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:11 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:38 pm
Posts: 8
Location: New Hampshire / St. John, USVI
This problem snuck up on me as well. Apparently, on previous attempts to insert the mast (tricky due to its high CG relative to where I can grip it), I knocked a few balls into the well. I hadn't made a visual memory of the original configuration, which is "full-complement", meaning that there are no gaps, and the balls all are nearly in touch with each other. Not realizing that balls could escape, I didn't pay much attention to them, and every time that I saw a partial complement, I assumed that this was normal. Finally, at the start of a long sail, we found it very difficult to reef the sail. On the theory that maybe some balls had fallen into the well (it had some water and sand in it, so this wasn't obvious), we laid a fellow sailor's dress on the beach, and inverted the TI above it. Low and behold, fourteen of the balls came tumbling out! The number in the bearing had been only ten as of this most recent mast insertion. I now know to check for a full complement before inserting the mast. I'm lucky in that I transport the TI with the mast well facing up; otherwise the balls would have been long gone. As per other posts, I will disassemble the bearing and check for any plastic flashing that needs to be sanded down, and I'll also give the screws a tightening, perhaps with Loc-tite. The Hobie assembly instructions really should include a photo of the ball complement, and explain what to do if you spot any gaps.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:11 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:44 am
Posts: 159
Location: Boynton Beach, FL
Hi Kevin.

When I first received my TI, bear bearing were always falling down into the bottom of the cup.

Now, whenever the mast is out of the mast receiver, I always keep a short pool noodle stuffed in the mast cup. Thank you Stringy for this excellent suggestion. Now, the issue is completely eliminated.

_________________
Marc K
2010 Hobie Tandem Island
Boynton Beach, FL


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group