La Jolla - Flipping Kayaks :)

[daperrin]

Originally Posted by deptrai

When doing this in a Hobie, when do you pull the drive?

Thats a great question. I believe the drive should be pulled just before you head into the surf. I stow it below deck so its safe. I would never use it to go into the surf as you might hit the bottom in shallow spots and damage the drive. I use nothing but my paddle to control and drive the kayak (either going in or out). The only danger here is the brief time the drive is removed from the slot to the time it is safely below deck. Just keep the lanyard attached until you close that hatch.

Others have said to keep the drive inserted but just keep it in the 'flat' position against the hull. They say it is safe as there are no parts that can be damaged if you run up on the shore which of course you have to do when you land. And of course if its locked into the hull it cant fall out (thats very true). I subscribed to that method until just a week ago. I started to noticed my 180 drive was very difficult to switch between forward and reverse requiring a very hard pull. I stopped by Fastlane where I bought it and the owner told me I had a lot of sand particles up in the bearings where the 180 rotates from forward to reverse. I took the drive home and vigorously flushed out the area in question with a heavy stream of water as instructed. I was able to get one of the fins to move freely but the other is still bound up. I will probably have to take it back to be dismantled and cleaned out. I definitely attribute this to having left my drive in during landings and take offs.

So those who say the drive can stay in and run up on the beach without consequence have been proven wrong. So I just pull it out and stick it down the hatch and paddle in. Some will say the danger of transferring the drive from the slot to below deck and having a mishap is too great and they would rather keep it locked in place throughout the landing. I do acknowledge this fact but now that I know the sand will get into my bearings and damage the unit I feel stowing below deck is the best reasonable option. You Decide!

[NICKWORN]

There are a lot more newbies too> not saying i wasn't once one, but yea more stories of yard sales for sure.

I prefer to paddle in while watching breakers, if one approaches i paddle backwards slightly to gain momentum, wave hits me and i chase it, repeat until im waist deep and walk it in.

Hobies dont surf well and if you are caught surfing it, you better dig that paddle in deep, otherwise your gonna get rolled.

The backwards method just seems so awkward, never really see anyone doing that anyways. Plus, big white wash will flip you using this method anyhow.

[deptrai]

Originally Posted by daperrin

I started to noticed my 180 drive was very difficult to switch between forward and reverse requiring a very hard pull. I stopped by Fastlane where I bought it and the owner told me I had a lot of sand particles up in the bearings where the 180 rotates from forward to reverse. I took the drive home and vigorously flushed out the area in question with a heavy stream of water as instructed. I was able to get one of the fins to move freely but the other is still bound up. I will probably have to take it back to be dismantled and cleaned out. I definitely attribute this to having left my drive in during landings and take offs.

Flushing with water is usually a temporary solution.

I've completely torn apart my drive twice now. The YouTube video in this thread is very useful.

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=63785