TURBO FINS AND SPROCKET

Ok think i am going to spring for a turbo fin and sailing rudder upgrade on my revolution....My question is should i be upgrading to the new sprocket v2 threaded thingy?

have u guys done this?

i think the description on it says it is a much stronger design...its only 15 bucks plus the fins for it which are the same price as the standard turbo fins.

anybody know the deal with this

First, you're gonna love the upgrades, They really mean turbo w/ those fins!

As to the sprocket, I have yet to have any mast problems with any of my MD's. Not to say that you won't but you never know. It is pretty cheap for peace of mind though.

If anyone's interested here's what YN is talking about:

We have gone to a “Marine Grade” brass embedded piece in the sprockets to mount the masts. The "V2" sprockets are thicker / stronger at the mast connection. The masts and the insert are threaded. No more set screws to hold the mast in place. Simply dab a small amount of loc tite on the mast threads and thread them into the sprockets. These new sprockets / masts have shown a dramatic improvement in strength under high loads. This will be the sprocket / mast system of choice for ST Turbo Fin users. We have ST Turbo kits available now for the new threaded sprockets coming on 2009 models. The new sprockets are also available for upgrading older model MirageDrives.



Z

The new sprockets are also available for upgrading older model MirageDrives.



Z

oh? Tell me more!!!!
(price, availability,how old a model do they upgrade,,,,)

oh? Tell me more!!!!
(price, availability,how old a model do they upgrade,,,,)

Will get you some info soon.

Z

only reason i was worried because if i get the turbo fins and i don't get the sprocket and then my sprocket does break...i would have to upgrade to another set of masts to change the sprockets...as far as i can see on kayakfishingstuff the price for the sprockets is 14.95 and the turbo fins with the new mast are the same as the old price....i read a little on the hobie forums last night about them...they say that they haven't had any problems in the new ones...but they do say when u install them you can get a popping chain for the first few pedals because the chain has to seat on a larger sprocket in the center...also the masts don't exactly just screw in...because they are very close tolerance you pretty much have to use vice grips...the plus side is it is tight

by the way here is some links to the hobie cat forums threads with great info on the sprocket itself, install, lubrication methods, drive repair and drive maintanance

the sprocket review
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=10415&sid=4a29f7bac2f740581ca38304d280e57e

sprocket install
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=10710&highlight=tuning

general drive maintenance three part thread...all the links to part 2 and 3 are in the first part of the first post (some good info in these)
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=6308&sid=4d87dbe547d1a6cac4583fd946df1ffc

all complete with pictures and instructions amongst other things

Oh and by the way kayakfishingstuff.com is having a 15% accessory sale atm so if you order the fins and the sprocket u practically get the sprocket for free...just thought i would let everyone know...i ordered my turbo fins, sprocket, lip gripper, whistle, and sailing rudder

Nice! Thanks for the post. Let us know how the upgrade goes.

Z

follow up on fins/sprockets/rudder....i like i like....definitely worth the money and would suggest all of the above to anyone interested....the installs were fairly easy although a bit harder when you have to change sprocket...still only took about a half hour or so with lubing and everything....for those posts on other forums that say it is hard to turn the masts into the sprocket with a screwdrive....they are right...i still did it that way because i didn't like the idea of putting vice grips on the metal for fear of scarring it and increasing the likelihood of corrosion at the teeth marks....its still doable with a screw driver just awkward to hold the drive upside down and put that amount of pressure turning the masts....but i don't think they are gonna come out...probably not even if i want them too lol....only problem i see with the upgraded sprockets is they don't have the original screw holes for the sprocket plastic cover things...minor flaw especially since when you pop the plastic things on they can't really come off anyways even without screws (they don't seem to do that much anyways)
the first trip i took with them was the one north of alki point from south of fauntleroy ferry docks...a little over 10 miles....only reason i could do that was because i had the fins...makes it way more efficient...theres more resistance but it slows your pedal movement by probably half and maintains the same speed or faster...keeps the heart rate down
and as for the rudder that is a very good upgrade in itself...as i think zee stated before it probably cuts your rudder correction in half...which i really liked because i hated having my hand down there all the time when i was trying to do other stuff with the rod or watever....the disadvantage i have found with my setup is...since i have the 08 revolution and not the 09 i have the lever for the down and twist up action....it makes it pretty hard to move it up and down....im kinda scared im gonna snap the lever off actually...u definitely use the  from left to right trick on the down swing or it probably won't lock down....and for the up the back and forth in the middle does help a little bit...u just have to make sure u do it all in one quick motion or it won't lock all the way in either direction....i probably need to play with the rigging lines for both steering and up down....but even with the very minor cons both upgrades are very nice....

I could see where in deep water this would be necessary..  However, the majority of my fishing is in water less than 2' deep.... Not sure Turbo Fins are a necessity for me...  Unless I were to purchase a seperate Turbo Drive, and use the turbo fins for those tims I am fishing lakes..

The tidal flats I fish the majority of the time, require niormal fins, and even then, I often find myself digging pluff mud and having to flutter the fins or pull out the paddle to get past the shallower sections of the waters I fish.

Coud you use the new sprocket for normal fins?  Any advantages?

YotF

yes i believe all the 09 models use the new sprocket design...but i don't think it is worth upgrading unless yours has problems or breaks down the lines...you would require new masts and sprockets....the new sprockets spin in to a brass fitting embedded in the sprocket...suppost to be alot stronger and reduce movement between the sprocket and mast...it doesn't move trust me lol...but unless you have a need for the upgrade its not going to improve much of anything for you accept longevity...apparantly people have had problems with the set screw not holding the mast firmly in the past...

i didn't think about shallow water im used to the sound where its deep almost all the time...so i could see where that could be a problem...although the turbo fins are bigger they are not as big as i expected them to be...i don't have them here with me to measure but they are actually only a 2-3 inches longer than the normal fins but they are squared off instead of tapered on the aft side...so there is alot more surface area...they actually make st fins that are squared off that are the same length as the regular fins but they have a slightly greater surface area...i don't think they would be worth spending the money on though

the rudder on the other hand is not going to be any deeper than your fins and it is also only 25 bucks and super easy to install...very handy upgrade reduces work load quite a bit

....the disadvantage i have found with my setup is...since i have the 08 revolution and not the 09 i have the lever for the down and twist up action....it makes it pretty hard to move it up and down....im kinda scared im gonna snap the lever off actually...u definitely use the  from left to right trick on the down swing or it probably won't lock down....and for the up the back and forth in the middle does help a little bit...u just have to make sure u do it all in one quick motion or it won't lock all the way in either direction....i probably need to play with the rigging lines for both steering and up down....but even with the very minor cons both upgrades are very nice....

Knew you would dig the fins and rudder.

I had the same problem where it was hard to twist the rudder up and down. Need to make some minor adjustments. The big nut holding the rudder rotator halves together, loosen it just an 1/8 of a turn, It will make a big difference. When the rudder is down, The tighter of the two strings should have a bit of tension, but not too much.

Mine goes up and down pretty much like the smaller one now. And use dry silicone spray(I know, an oxynoron) to lube the rotator once in a while. It's kinda hard to find , at least here it was, we ordered it online.

but they are actually only a 2-3 inches longer than the normal fins but they are squared off instead of tapered on the aft side...so there is alot more surface area...

the rudder on the other hand is not going to be any deeper than your fins and it is also only 25 bucks and super easy to install...very handy upgrade reduces work load quite a bit

Turbo fins and stock for comparison ('07 drive for stock and '09 drive for turbo)


Sailing rudder and stock for comparison


Z

The new drives are nice, especially the cams that put less strees on the cable ends. Is that part of the upgrade kit Z ?

And did alot of paint fall of your drive, the metal bars ? Mine has and i always rinsed them off religiously.

The new drives are nice, especially the cams that put less strees on the cable ends. Is that part of the upgrade kit Z ?

And did alot of paint fall of your drive, the metal bars ? Mine has and i always rinsed them off religiously.

The only upgrades I've made to the drive were the turbo fins. And I haven't had an problems with chipping paint. Not really sure where that's coming from. The drive on the right has seen a lot of days on the salt and no chipping. Did you maybe drip some kinda paint thinner or oil on it?

Z