Upgrades for HOBIE Mirage Drives

[OEX Oceanside]

Hobie Mirage Drive Fin Upgrades for Kayak Fishing





Hobie’s innovative Mirage Drive has revolutionized the world of Kayak Fishing. No other kayak allows you ‘hands free’ capability. With Hobie, you have the free to fish while underway. Not only that, but its more efficient and much faster than a traditional kayak. Now, Hobie has improved upon its original Mirage Drive fin design with 2 new upgraded fins, the ST Fin and the ST Turbo Fin.



The Standard or stock fin that comes with the Hobie Mirage Drive is 11 inches long with a curved bottom. The fin is very flexible providing for easy pedal strokes. This fin was designed for all skill levels, from the first timer to the seasoned salt.

The ST or “Square Tip” Fin is also 11 inches long, but instead of a curved bottom, it has a flat squared bottom. The fin is a bit stiffer than the standard fin and includes a tension screw that allows the user to increase or decrease the stiffness of the fin. This upgrade retails for $22.95 per fin or $45.90 for the pair.

The ST Turbo Fin is a beefed up version of the ST Fin. At 13.5 inches, it’s a full 2 and a half inches longer than the ST Fin. This additional length can provide for a 10% increase in speed (according to Hobie’s marketing material) You can also obtain top speed much more quickly and cruising speed is a breeze. This upgrade retails for $79.95 for the pair.



I’ve upgraded my Mirage Drive to the ST Turbo Fins for Kayak Fishing. I like the ability to chase down bird schools or just get out to the fishing grounds faster. Add a high performance sailing rudder and you’ve got a fishing machine.

Installation of the ST and ST Turbo Fins takes about 5 minutes and all required tools come with the upgrade kit.

ST Fin

First, you’ll need to remove the pin holding the rear of the fin.




Then, slide the fin off of the mast





Next, grab the ST Fin and slide it onto the mast.




Finally, replace the pin on the rear of the fin.




ST Turbo Fin
The ST Turbo fins have an additional step, due to the longer mast (13.5 inches)

After you have removed the standard fin, you’ll need to replace the mast
First, loosen the set screw holding the mast






Then, slide the old mast out and insert the longer mast. Be careful to line up the notch in the mast with the set screw.



Next, slide the ST Turbo fin onto the mast.



Finally, replace the pin on the rear of the fin.

[mg2969]

Great writeup, very informative and detailed.
However I would add that once you've backed out the mast holding screw /bolt, it doesn't seem to ever be as tight.
I would
* add some lock tight to the procedure,
* make the hex wrench that fixes it part of mirage drive owners on the water emergency kit,
* and give a quick check to the screws/bolts before you launch.

Ask me how I know

[peguinpower]

Try before you buy.

The Turbo fins make for a fairly heavy load on the knees. Not a problem for tooling around for 15 minutes, but an issue for 5 hours rides.

Personally, Ive settled with the ST fins.

/bing

[Billy V]

I have the Turbo Fins on my Adventure and like them much better than the standard drive fin.
-As OEX Oceanside mentioned the Turbo Fins can be tuned for more or less speed with a simple adjustment of the brass tension screw. This also affects the level of difficulty it take to peddle the drive.

I like the fact that I peddle at a lower RPM and move at a good speed.

I would not use Threadlocker on the mast set screw. It specifically says it is not recommended for use it on plastics.

If the mast set screw hole has become enlarged it may be best to buy a replacement mast. They sometimes crack anyway, and are cheap to replace.