After a few seasons of hard use and neglect, my Mirage Drive needed a little TLC. I’ve been putting off a few maintenance issues, and decided it was time to get my motor back in good shape.
I took a few pics on the way, probably not as many as I should have. I have rebuilt a mirage drive in the past, but not to this extent. Its really not hard at all, and the parts are readily available. As usual, I got mine from Andy @ OEX Sunset Beach
I had a couple issues with my Mirage Drive. First, the pin on my pedal assembly had damaged the adjustment holes on my drum. This made it so I could not adjust them on the water. This happened on both drums. On long trips, I like to move the adjustment on my peddles, just to mix things up and make longer treks more comfortable. The damaged holes made them impossible to adjust.
Here are a couple pics of the carnage
I had also stripped the threaded brass inserts in the sprocket which holds the fin mast in. This would cause the mast and fin to fall out sporadically while peddling. Certainly not ideal to lose a fin while chasing bird piles. This damage was my own fault, as I did not originally use Loctite to install- which Hobie recommends. Too many quick on the water repairs has caused undue wear to the brass inserts.
Here is a pic
To change out 2 drums and 2 sprockets, you need just a few tools. A couple wrenches, and alan wrench, and a pair of pliers were all I used today.
First, take out the bolt that is holding the Pedal in
Next, take out all the old built-up WSB scales and sand that were buried in the crevices. This step may vary by user, depending on how you use your Hobie
Next, take off the nuts that hold together the Drive Chains, and Idler cable. A pair of pliers will prevent the chain from twisting if the nut is stuck, which it probably will be.
My chains have a bit of rust, but are still structurally fine. I am going to reuse. If a little rust bothers you, the replacement cables are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. 2 nuts for each chain, and put the new chain in the old ones place. Super easy
With all the nuts off, the damaged drum slid right off. No turning back at this point.
While it was off, I took the opportunity to clean and lube up the drum shaft. I used a marine grade, waterproof bearing grease. Any waterproof grease would probably do the trick.
I also applied the lube to the sprocket shaft.
In hindsight, adding the grease to both the drum shaft and sprocket shaft made the most noticeable difference in the entire process. I guess I had not noticed that the drive had become tight, probably due to my neglect and a couple years of use. Once I put it all back together, it was incredible how loose and free the pedals moved. I’m anxious to get it out on the water to see if I will notice a difference. I bet I will.
One thing that I love about Hobie, is that they are constantly innovating and improving any part of the product they can. Even to the smallest detail, they will find a way to improve. I was pleased to see this when I was installing the new Drum.
Hobie has reinforced the adjustment holes with metal, to prevent the damage that I had experienced.
Skip a few more steps putting it all back together, adjust everything properly, and viola! I have a shiny new tuned up Mirage Drive
It is really pretty easy to upgrade parts on the mirage drive, make adjustments for a “tune-up”, or just perform a little maintenance. If you are unsure of what parts you need, or where to start I’d give Andy @ OEX a call and he’ll get you set up. Good luck!
Next mission, on the water test
