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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 2:03 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:44 pm
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Proud owner of new Compass here finally was ready to drop 2000$ plus on a Kayak.

Was able to take it out a few times on inland reservoir in 54 degrees water.
On my 4th trip I am beaching and pulling the drive out and found one of the fins missing... the mast was there complete undamaged, but the fin must have just slipped off somehow. Didnt see it floating anywhere near by and wasnt the type of weather to take a dive searching for fin on lake bottom.

I gotta say I was in disbelief as I truly avoided shallows/rocks and there should have been no reason the pin with the split ring should have come off. But thats exactly what must have happened.
Called the dealer I bought it from.... one of the largest kayak places is close by to where I live and I bought my compass after it was displayed at a outdoors show getting a good price for kayak which has not been used before. They stated somewhat casually that really never happened before but they will be happy to replace it for 50$ in parts, they have the items in stock so no worries. Warranty will not cover this as its not really possible to prove what happened. Maybe Dealers / Hobie assume that I might want to get free extra fin? Either way I am not happy.

Haven't heard back from Hobie in question I submitted related to warranty.

I guarantee there is nothing I could have prevented, maybe I should have double checked the drive and pin/split ring placement before taking off? But given the drive was brand new I assumed all is perfectly installed. I have not touched it other than adjust for leg length and installed the drive leash.
Does it really happen that a fin just falls off? split rings are supposed to be pretty much indestructible.... it would somehow rotate a few times to come off?
Do I need to expect to buy new fins every few months? are there better split rings I should use? I saw some other postings here talking about severely manged split rings.... but these fins have barely touched any hard surface.

Hoping I hear back from Hobie as the dealer/seller sees this as typical extra expense to me it seems.

Stunned new Hobie Mirage owner.


Last edited by RosevilleHobie on Tue Mar 20, 2018 7:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 3:46 pm 
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Whether hobie will replace it as a PR exercise I dont know, but I think it is a freak occurrence, the split ring was most likely not on properly or bent out of shape as this is not a common occurrence. I wouldn't worry too much about it happening again, but it is worth periodically visually checking while rinsing the drive down after each trip, and replacing the clip if it is not closing properly


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 5:54 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
I'm sure if the dealer files the claim we would consider a free replacement. That is just an odd occurrence.

_________________
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: Tue Mar 20, 2018 6:14 pm 
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All these comments made me look at the drive again.... the way the fin is installed looks just very different compared to the pictures I see online:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19-NXn6 ... sp=sharing

There is much larger cap between fin and drive compared to images I find online.
So could it be that the masts were bent to the right side in picture? How can that happen? Could one beaching with drive installed cause this? Or one time running into rocks underground? water levels are low here and I cannot for sure state I did not hit rocks underwater.

If I caused this I will have learned my lessons.... as mentioned first time Hobie drive owner here.
If thats case I probably need to replace both masts and find a fin.... probably better to get full set maybe next time Turbo Fins. Hoping this will never happen again.


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 9:47 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
Yes, they look bent. Hitting the bottom while moving forward causes this sort of damage. You can remove the one fin and straighten both masts by clamping one and then the other in a vise and holding the drive... bend them straight.

Still odd to see a clevis pin missing. We have seen fins pried off the attachment fitting, but that would leave the clevis, fitting and brass nut hanging on the drive.

Keep one foot forward to hold the fins against the hull in shallow water or when beaching. You can still move forward well with quick and very short strokes. Like bird wings flapping up against the hull.

_________________
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: Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:10 pm 
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Image

Happens to the best of us, last year.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 3:18 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:44 pm
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I received a new Fin to replace the lost fin and having this exchange and Matt's statement made filing a warranty claim by my dealer a breeze.... Thanks for that!
Glad I have a local dealer here in Sacramento area. As they mentioned they have never seen this, so it must have been some type of semi installed split ring or other strange incident.
In meantime I actually upgraded to turbo fins, but good to have ability to switch back to regular fins for potentially more shallow water fishing if I feel like doing so.


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