replacing steering line Hobie Compass

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tripleH
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Posts: 28
Joined: 05 Apr 2021, 11:19
kayak: hobie compass and passport 10.5
Real Name: Harry

replacing steering line Hobie Compass

Post by tripleH »

Hi, I hadn't seen instructions elsewhere so I thought I would post what I learned and ending up doing. Problem was that I noticed one of the rudder steering lines was 50% severed where it wound around the turning knob. It turned out that a piece of shell was stuck in the groove of the knob and so over time wore the line. Fortunately, I noticed before it snapped. I have a vague idea what I would have done if it did snap, but this post is about the simple procedure to route a new line off of the old line.

I called Lovig and Scot told me what to do. First off get some SK78 Dyneema 2mm cord. I bought mine from an online seller in Bulleen. I got black and white, just as a backup, but it turned out I couldn't get the black through the securing hole on the control knob. The black actually looked smaller diameter but was hollow core while the white had a core. Try as I may, I couldn't get enough of the black through the little hole on the knob to pull it through without it unraveling. So I used the white.

Next you remove the knob at the front and the cap on top of the rudder at the back (photo). Unscrew one cable at a time from rudder spool cap, secure some braid line (I used some old power pro, tied on with a snell as I didn't know what else to do; photo), then carefully pull the old line out the front as the power pro feeds into the grommet (and internal tube) at back. It slides easily through. Then repeat process in reverse at other end but snelling on the new cord to the power pro and pulling the power pro through at the back. Leave plenty of slack in new line front and back. Attach line to the knob at front with an internal knot (I used a figure eight) and secure line at back around screw on rudder spool cap, noting routing around spool. Do other line in same fashion. Align rudder and tighten up the lines as per readily available Hobie advice, and you are finished.

Not only did I avoid an on-water disaster, the tightness of the control now is remarkable compared to the old line, which I guess would stretch. There is no apparent stretch in the Dyneema.

So, to speculate as to what to do if your line snaps completely: the line runs through an internal tube, which I don't think you can easily access on a Compass. I think Scot said you could but I couldn't figure it out. But, I can imagine sucking some power pro through the tube by applying a vacuum cleaner over the opposite end grommet. This sort of technique works for internally routed bicycle shift cables, so I imagine it work for a Compass.

Hope this helps somebody.
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