Hobie Twist and Stow Rudder Issue

In my last trip out through Mooloolaba mouth I had some issues with my twist and stow jumbo sailing rudder. When ever I was peddling fast, going against strong current or going over a big wave the kayak would start turning to the left. I could turn the rudder control freely but turning it all the way left would result in me going straight and turning all the way left would result in me doing very tight circles. As it only happens in potentially dangerous conditions I could not stop, climb over the back and have a look on the Hobie Outback to see what was happening.

I tried replicating the issue by using a towel to apply pressure on the rudder while I tried to turn the rudder but did not find any slippage. I then inspected the rudder pin buy pulling it out but found it to be straight so put it back in again. Feeling a little dumbfounded I just played around with the twist and stow part of the rudder, stowing and deploying. I then realized the recently installed Jumbo sailing rudder does not lock firmly down into place and with light pressure to the rudder, lifts up and starts to turn.

It seemed that when ever there was pressure to the back of the rudder it would lift up and begin to twist, resulting in the outback to start turning left. To fix this I tightened up the cable that pulls the rudder down into place by removing the screw, pulling the cable tight and putting the screw back in. It took a few tries to get the right pressure and ended up doing the tightening while the rudder was stowed.

A test in strong currents found the problem fixed! This was a relief as it was something that I did not find much information on the net and was running out of ideas to fix.

Dan

Build your own rod storage for surf launches in Hobie Outback

This DIY is about being able to stow my rods in the outback when I do a surf launch. Since completing this project Hobie have come up with their own take on this same issue which is much nicer looking but not so effective in keeping reels out of the sea spray.

I simply attached 2 pieces of pvc to a chopping board, and used a small piece of shock cord to attach it to the front hatch.

Rod storage empty.

I then use the rod leashes to hold them in place and tuck the tips into the side of the outback.

With rods in

With the fish finder mounted on of the rods sat too close to the mirage drive, so I cut a small grove in the high density foam protector I had over the fish finder mount and run the rod over the foam.

With rods in again

If I want to run a third rod I can weave it through the rear well bungees and also strap the tip to the outback using the rod leash.

With the 3rd rod in

This does not solve the problem of stopping them from getting wet, I am going to have to craft up some sort of bagging system for the reels yet.

Dan

Dry mount Garmin 300c fish finder install in Hobie Outback

So I purchased the garmin 300c recently and decided to dry mount the transducer. The dry mount method involves gluing your transducer to the inside of the kayak hull. The risk is you get bubbles in it which will create false readings but the benefit is you don't need to worry about creating a watertight container for it and keeping it submerged with water. As there are more dry mount posts than you can poke a stick at out there I have kept this brief and specific where possible to this install.

200mm x 200mm High density foam from Clark Rubber @ $4, cut out a small section to mount the transducer in to ensure a tight fit to the hull and no air bubbles between the hull and tranny. I used Selleys All Clear (thanks for the advice guys) to first glue the foam into place...

The high density foam in place.

The foam again

then glue the tranny in place.

Transducer glued in place

I then mounted the head unit bracket (supplied) onto the kayak, it unfortunately did not fit into the side rail or under the handle which was a pity. I ended up putting it behind the rhs rod holder and happy with it now. Drilling the large hole for the 2 cables was a bit scary and used a rubber bung, gutted and cut down the middle to make the hole waterproof.










I have cleaned this bung up a little since but the same concept.

Here is the battery box, you will notice the fuse is on the outside of the box... not sure if this is a good thing, might have to make a bigger hole, put it in the box.

Battery Box.

The mount is a bit exposed and dangerous for moving and also if I flip it in the surf so I cut some of the spare high density foam and make a cover for it.

Mount protector

Without mount protector

Now I was curious about how the unit would display in full and direct sunlight so I set it to simulation and took some photos, they really do not tell the same picture as it was crystal clear to read in the sun and I can tell you now that you could not wish for more.

Garmin 300c sun behind screen

Garmin 300c sun infront of screen

So now all I can do is wait, next weekend the glue should have fully cured and it will hopefully not have any air bubbles in it.

UPDATE: It works, and works very well, could not be more happy with the purchase and install. Having a fish finder adds a whole new dimension to fishing and takes a little of the guess work out of it.






Dan