Pre-2011 hobie steering handle breakage

I'm talking about the black nylon handles with the set screws. I've had 2 handles fail, both in big swells.

Has anyone else had their handle break?



http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=26423&start=15

never, that's wierd

Sounds like in the heat of the "pucker factor" moment you may be torquing on them?   Or perhaps something is binding in the works and doesn't allow it to move freely/smoothly and them when more pressure is applied to get in to move it fails?

No problems with the rudder handle but I did have a chord break that attaches to the rudder. I think there is a "rub spot" where the chord passes through the rudder which makes fraying the line much more likely. Either way, it is a big problem when you are on the water.

No problems with the rudder handle on my revo, but the biggest swells in Puget Sound are from tanker wakes. 

From the Hobie Forum thread it appears Hobie had a handle manufacturing issue.  Hobie's Matt Miller said, "We had an issue with production on the set screw style handles at some point last year or so. Correctly built, the set screw style is no problem as it was for many years."  This was from March 2010. 

You may also want to really juice up the rudder mechanism with WD-40.  Do you have all the Hobie Twist & Stow documents?  Such as,

http://2010.archive.hobiecat.com/support/pdfs/Twist-n-Stow_Repair_Manual.pdf

Miller also said you can get the new style handle.

You might want to check the padeye Hobie uses to retain the rudder lines on either side of the rear hatch.  See replies #14 and #15 in http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,4553.msg52211.html#msg52211

The rest of the thread was NOT my finest moment

Since I ate the crow and resolved the cleat, pin, and clamp issues, my T&S rudder has been flawless.  I should probably add some replacement cord to my emergency repair kit.

Bought 3 handles from ACK.com and noticed inconsistency in the molding right around the brass insert. Some have a lip of nylon to hold the insert in, and some don't. The ones without any lip are bound to slip out at high enough stress. Needless to say I'm only using the one with the lip.

If you have a pre-2011 Hobie and are planning on going out in big water, may I suggest making sure your brass insert is held in by a nylon lip and is not backing out.