Hobie rudder issues - main pivot pin

The main pivot pin on the rudder on my Revo popped out while out on the salt today.  Damned pain in the ass.  Couldn't crawl back there because of the milk crate and didn't want to drop into the 49F water, so spent 30 minutes peddling a randomly veering yak into shore.  Eventually with my paddle I managed to get the completely detached rudder up on the stern deck and the rest of the return trip was easy.

When I got to shore the I found the pivot pin was bent at about a 30 degree angle.  It was easy to bend back to straight.  The main pivot pin is a plastic pin, with a penis-like split tip.  The idea is that the pin pushes in from the top and the and the head of the penis should snap in place and hold it in position.  Don't trust it. 

I believe keeping this pin juicy with lubricant will help prevent it from working out.  I had WD-40 in the truck so I slicked it up and went back out.  I had no further issues.  It was a white cap day and I think that as the rudder naturally bounces up and down, its vertical slop can pop up a dry pin.  Once up, it's design prevents it from being pushed back down.

When I get home I'll replace the pin with a stainless clevis.

That pin is meant to be like a fuse. You want it to bend, usually in impacts .. I would be hesitant to replace it with steel. Just get a few extrers to have on hand.

mine did the same thing one day, it is a pain, luckily i was out with another hobie and he towed me in. That was a nice relaxing trip to shore

I purchased a bag of extras knowing these are just fuses as well.  The cool thing is that Hobie made a pin keeper under each of your 8 inch hatches to hold a spare. 

(Not my yak, but here's a pic of the pin secured on the underside of the hatch lid)



Another option to keep the pin from working itself out would be to drill a small pilot hole between the spread head of the penis head tip, and then screw in a small grub screw between the split to keep them spread apart.   The pin could still be sheared as needed if the rudder smacks a hard object.

Ahh ... Got it.  The pin function is not mentioned in the Twist-n-Stow repair manual, and not mentioned in the parts diagram.  Lots of rudder pin part numbers on the Hobie site.  Where does one get the specific part number and where to pickup the pins?  Do rudders come with spares? 

Thanks.

Ahh ... Got it.  The pin function is not mentioned in the Twist-n-Stow repair manual, and not mentioned in the parts diagram.  Lots of rudder pin part numbers on the Hobie site.  Where does one get the specific part number and where to pickup the pins?  Do rudders come with spares? 

Thanks.

I ordered 3 spares from Austin Kayak.  Looks like Hobie has changed the head of them a little bit since I got mine, but should still work as designed.
http://www.austinkayak.com/products/811/Hobie-Mirage-Rudder-Pin-for-Twist-and-Stow-Rudders.html



Austin Kayak has damn near everything you need to repair your Mirage drive too, if you ever bugger it up. 
I didn't have my lever pin popped in all the way before trying to peddle and chewed up number 6 hole bad enough to not hold the lever arm under pressure.  Ordered up a pair of new ones to replace that one, and have a spare.  Easy to replace too.
Browse their Hobie Repair parts list.

Austin Kayak has damn near everything you need to repair your Mirage drive too, if you ever bugger it up.  ... Browse their Hobie Repair parts list.

Thanks.  I bought both my T13 and Revo at ACK.  Didn't think to look there for parts.

If you are in the Portland area I can get you a spare pins from Next Adventure. 

If you are in the Portland area I can get you a spare pins from Next Adventure. 

Thanks for the offer, but I'm in the Seattle area, and I think I will take the opportunity to buy a number of spare parts for the Revo and Mirage drive. 

Split tip on a penis?  Not gonna go there.....