Broken pedal arm
 

Just broke the pedal arm on my mirage drive. So are these something that should be replaced periodically like the cables? Or was this a once in a blue moon failure? The pedals are 2.5 years old.

And I just broke a cable last week. Geez.

I haven't hard an arm break but I have replaced my cables twice in the same amount of time. While you're at it check the rudder cables at the rear of the kayak and make sure that they are not worn, all you have to do is remove the inspection cover, pretty simple to do.

I have only had mine 2 years and have not heard of that problem, but...looking at where it broke, the hole for the pin stands a good chance of not getting rinsed out well with fresh water after use. That, and the fact that it is a stress point while you are pedalling makes it susceptible to breakage. Is there corrosion on the inside of the hole? I am going to start spraying mine with WD-40, and hopefully that won't happen to mine. Thanks for posting. I'm curious to see if it is a common problem that we need to address to Hobie.

They break...I broke one as well. Replace and move on, inspect regularly.

Good excuse to get the 180 drive

I don't think that is the kind of "backup" needed. The part that is breaking looks the same on the new 180 drive. If it breaks it will be twice as bad because then you won't be able to go either direction!

Hahaha. Good one!

There was not a trace of corrosion on the failed part. It cracked right at the point the threaded bolt for the position adjustment rubs on the pedal arm. That if anything caused a stress fracture.

don't spray it with WD-40, it isn't a lubricant, when it dries it attracts moisture and causes corrosion. I would probably use a lithium grease spray to keep it lubricated

This stuff is the shit for mirage drives. Cleans, lubricates, doesnt attract dust or dirt. Ive had three mirage drives over the years, and never even had a minor failure.

I also put marine grade shrink tubing where the exposed part of the cable connects to the drum. That part is known to rust out and likely a breaking point.


https://www.amazon.com/Break-Free-Lu.../dp/B0050GW5BQ

Here's a picture of the broken pedal arm, and of the other pedal arm that has a wear mark from the pin assembly that allows pedal reach adjustment. The wear mark is considerable and the break happened right at that point.

Thanks for the close-up pics. Maybe they should use a press-fit pin instead of a set screw to hold the bigger adjustment pin. Then you would not get the damage to the square bar. Those screw gouges are a nice place for a crack to start, and then the fat lady sings. So how did you get back? I have been as far as seven miles from home, and I might have to call a rescue boat because I don't think my arms would last paddling. Maybe I need to quit being lazy and exercise my paddle muscles more as a backup plan.

Get ahold of your Hobie dealer and file a claim. There we're batches sold in 2014 that are known to break and Hobie knows about it. I've never broke one before or after that years batch.

Thanks for the info about the defect in 2014. My kayak is a 2014. Now I want the other pedal arm replaced too.

I totally lucked out as to where the break happened. I pushed through a seven foot tidal swing, and I got to a couple hundred yards of the boat ramp in HH. Then it broke, so no big deal to paddle the rest of the way.