# Pedalling with half a Mirage Drive



## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Ever banged into something on a Hobie and realized your Mirage drive is suddenly a little heavy to pedal. 
Upon inspection, you notice it is bent.
Later, to straighten the drive's mast in a vice should only be a temporary fix ... as I noticed last weekend.

Mine broke at the base about 4 k's from my launch recently.

After hitting a submerged ledge a couple of weeks ago, thus pushing my kayak's fin back, I subsequently straightened it (in a vice) back at home later that day.
Metal fatigue is very invisible, especially when the metal mast sits in a socket within the drive, somewhat obscured from view.

In the event that you a long way from shore when a Mirage mast breaks and you need to keep pedaling, remove the busted drive mast and fin and pedal on with the sole driving fin *at the front*...seems to work fine, but it isn't suggested to pedal too hard, as one fin is doing the work of two even though the lightness of load is appealing.
In this mode the kayak (in my case -Adventure Island) tracked well.
Extra stability due to outriggers could possibly have contributed to the success of this outcome.
It certainly won't work very well if the only driving fin is the rear one.

Make sure you have the tools ... alan key as well as philips head screwdriver and pliers stowed conveniently and dry.
Also... keep the straightened mast only as a spare and install a new one as soon as you can.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I would have thought you would have lost a lot of energy through the hull rocking from side to side. You may be right about outirggers adding stability.


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

I had the exact same thing happen to me, but I was 7kms from the launch site. It works surprisingly well with only one fin but the rocking side to side gives you a massive back ache for days afterwards.
the shaft on mine had been bent as well previously (several months prior), I got out to the far side of Broughton island and upon turning around to head back the shaft broke. I was able to save the fin as it was still attached via the locking pin at the back of it, but it makes for a painful trip home.

Now that I have the V2 drive I am thinking of having a spare sprocket as well as a spare shaft with me at all times. The drive itself is fairly easy to take apart once you have done it a few times and changing parts out while at sea shouldnt be too much of a problem or if I can land on an island to do the repairs.


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

at least you had sail power, I had my outback with no sail. 4kms with an AI would have been a breeze with a broken mirage drive I would have thought...pardon the pun.


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## snapperz (Dec 31, 2008)

Couldn't you just get the paddle out? :? :? :?


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

The round trip of 18 kms was easy. The mast broke after only 4 kms, and with a mix of sailing and a fair bit of pedaling to my destination another 5kms...there was absolutely no pain, even pleasurable.
The run home was mainly sail with occasional pedaling.
The effort required to push on the single ST turbo fin connected pedals was the same as that needed for a standard smaller 2 fin drive.

And granted, if in a kayak without 2 outriggers, paddling is the natural way if in trouble or just as an option.
With one outrigger or even both, it can be good to simply paddle with half a paddle on one side only with the rudder offset slightly.

In essence this experience is retold to illustrate just how good a Mirage drive is ... even when only working with one fin.


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## yakman1995 (Apr 9, 2010)

why is the front fin preferred to the bak fin whilst solo pedalling it?


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

It's all about balance and the distribution of effort at the most forward position... or so I am led to believe, especially after reading reports about others experiences with the fin in the rear.
Apparently they found a sense of the kayak swaying left and right a fair bit if the fin was at the rear.(Outback...single hull)
Obviously with the AI and its outriggers there is truer tracking anyhow, and with the fin in front, I certainly did not sense any left and right movement, probably for both reasons.
Interestingly, at times when I was pedaling there was little wind and or I had the sail furled, so that was when I would have found a problem with tracking, but didn't.


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## tarpon120 (Sep 10, 2009)

how did you get it that way in the first place
:shock:


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Shallow rocks/Bommy bumps etc and then straightened in a vice.
Thus creating a weak point.
Understandable when you think about it.


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## tarpon120 (Sep 10, 2009)

Yeah i agree


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## sayaka (Oct 10, 2008)

i did a 10 km paddle in my revo the other day before i saw this post just for this reason. if the peddles do not work for any reason i can still get home safely. besides i dont want to look like the guys from tour de france with big legs and chicken arms lol :twisted:


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