Cables Breaking on Mirage Drive

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

Has anyone had this happen? It has happened to me 3 times in the 2 years i have owned my outback. I rinse with fresh water after every trip out and spray with WD40 about every 3 trips.

Anyone else dealing with this issue?

[sopfrog]

I have not...my dad and I both have the outback...about 2 years old. I wash them with fresh water and lube them as well...no problems yet...knock on wood....I am having problems with the hobie bait tank though....I think the switch is going out....I have to play with it to keep the pump to stay on.....

[kobra]

Bummer. You either have awfull strong legs or maybe 3 lemons. I've had a hobie since 04 and never had a problem with the mirage drive. Hope Hobie took care of them for you.

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

Thanks guys. I have been into hobie dealers and they dont seem to believe me when i tell them this. Maybe i am alone on this one.

[kobra]

Jeff, go to the Hobie kayak site and ask Matt Miller about the mirage drive problem. He helps alot of people with Hobie problems. Worth a shot.

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

Originally Posted by kobra

Jeff, go to the Hobie kayak site and ask Matt Miller about the mirage drive problem. He helps alot of people with Hobie problems. Worth a shot.

Thanks, will do.

[yakboy63]

Hello Jeff, I Am new to this forum and i was wondering if anyone else was having this problem. Just snapped one last weekend,thankfully it was on my way in ,as i was quite a ways out. This will be my second set in two years. I have broke the idler cable as well.( once) I'm not gonna lie,i go out in the strong tides and i use my boat.I love the hands free fishing out of my outback. I guess i just chalk it up as new cables every year,still cheaper than a motorboat! however, i do wish they would use fatter cables maybe. i wash the drive religeously everytime. hope this helps, Mark

[flatinfifth]

Hi folks,

Been some time since I've been on the forum but your post really perked my interest. My brother Al and I have been fishing out of Hobies for the past three and a half years and have never had this happen. The only thing that I could possibly imagine that would lead to this cable breakage would be an overthightening of the cables. The instructions tell you how to tighten and how much to tighten. They should have a little compliance when tested with you fingers in a compressive motion. In other words, they should give a little when you squeeze them together. Anything tighter than this will place loads on the cable ends that most likely cause them to fail.

You won't need new cables at all if you keep them rinsed and lubed on a semi-regular basis. Other parts are bound to wear out before the cables ever break. My experience with Hobie has been first class from design to manufacture. Hope this helps.

Angel Figueras
Southwind Kayak Centers
Dobyns Rods
Hobie Fishing Team Member