Mirage Drive Maintenance
 

Good morning! New to using the Mirage Drive and was wondering what routine maintenance you guys do on your mirage drives. I see Hobie recommends Lube on chain, what do you guys recommend and what products do you use for this?

So far I have been thoroughly rinsing with hose to get saltwater rinsed out.

Thanks!

Dave

Like to add a question to this. What extra parts do you guys carry or have seen break out on the water?


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there is couple good youtube videos on the subject

Mirage Drive Maintenance
 

I like using corrosion x on everything. Works on electronics, metal, reels etc. non toxic and prohibits rust.


I prefer the standard v2 drive with turbo fins. Besides keeping the chains properly tensioned and oiled. There’s no real maintenance to do.

common things to fail? I’d say chains. Or idler cable. So inspect your chains/cable if you see rust or you got the drive used just replace them for peace of mind. Keep the old ones as spares. I kept a 7/16 wrench, vice grips, chains, shaft, fin and the pins for the drive in a ziplock. Only had to use that stuff one time. I crashed launched in La Jolla and bent the drive mast up and tore the fin. Was able to repair on the beach and still head out. Without a spare drive I’d keep that stuff on hand.


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The pros
 

Or guys using equipment everyday we’re carrying a complete extra drive, especially if you were riding a PA. Like mentioned, carrying a bag or the tools needed along with a spare idler chain / cable could save your bacon. But drop that 7/16 nut in water and your toast. Can you imagine paddling a PA from around corner? Replacing cables / chains every year or two is probably a wise idea if seeing extreme usage. Knowing where to look or inspect can help, but the failure can also occur without warning. Not sure if arms on newer style of drive have issues? But, that could occur on older models. Some guys have even stripped out the cam. Having a professional service it every year wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Mirage Drive Maintenance
 

Your right about the nut. I had a few extra on hand for the repair. My pops used to surf his oasis and would frequently strip out the gears and brake chains. Until he got the OG all metal setup. Since then he just bends masts or breaks chains. But this is an extreme circumstance. I have the parts to upgrade to the GT but I get sand in my drives. And I don’t like rebuilding every few outings.




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Had the cable on a buddy’s older V1 drive break while camping on the backside of Santa Rosa island. We didn’t have spares so we used some zip-ties to rig it together. It worked for a couple of miles but they popped and we were SOL then. Luckily we had great weather and Revo’s paddle well... I’ll try to dig out the video