Replace Hobie Turbo Fins?

[tufnik]

Some of you may this problem - damaged fins. The rod in the fin eventually protrude out through the rubber after repeated ground hits.

So, do you guys repair the fin? If so, how?

Or do you guys replace the fin? They're $30 a set, so you end up with a spare fin (your good used one).

[Grilled]

i've melted mine in place before and i know other people that have used the patches from a bike repair kit

[chex]

I've had a large bike tire patch on mine for about 8 months. Still holding strong.

[JKay]

I use a soldering iron to melt and repair mine. I've done it so many times it's ridiculous. The rocky LI sound will do that! Just make sure that you have the mast in place before you do it. I'm still on my original set of turbo fins. They have a lot of miles on them.

[Yak Fish]

I never thought about melting them, but I have repaired mine. Shoe Goo works very well. Just put it on and smooth it over and the next day it's a good as new.

[Yak Fish]

Although, check your masts. I eventually ended up replacing them. If they are not straight you can bend them back but you've weakened it. I had a mast fail on me in the middle of the flats. I didn't hit anything, it just eventually fatigued and gave way.

[Pinch]

Bike patch kit 100%

[jffoley]

I use a soldering iron to melt and repair mine.

i've melted mine in place before and i know other people that have used the patches from a bike repair kit

Yep, melt 'em. Works. Mine have been sliced with a snagged line on the bottom (notice how I worked in snaggedline :-) ). Soldering iron worked great...

[tufnik]

Whoaaa.....melt'em?!?!.......never heard of that.....Heat the rod?......Heat the rubber?......How do you seal the hole?......Does the rod adhere to the rubber after cooling?

I tried goop before, but it eventually came off.

The bike patch idea sounds good. Going to try it. Hope the kit comes with a big patch.

[Yak Fish]

Whoaaa.....melt'em?!?!.......never heard of that.....Heat the rod?......Heat the rubber?......How do you seal the hole?......Does the rod adhere to the rubber after cooling?

I tried goop before, but it eventually came off.

The bike patch idea sounds good. Going to try it. Hope the kit comes with a big patch.

If you use the shoe goo, you must make sure to clean the surface with alcohol or better yet, acetone. As with all bonding applications, the surfaces must be clean. I don't think I could ever get the shoe goo off.

[JKay]

Whoaaa.....melt'em?!?!.......never heard of that.....Heat the rod?......Heat the rubber?......How do you seal the hole?......Does the rod adhere to the rubber after cooling?

Yup, sounds a little crazy, but it works great. If you have a soldering pencil, it's really easy and costs you NOTHING. Here's an old post of mine that I dug up from another forum.

The rubber material of the turbo fins melts easily and will stick to itself. Take a soldering iron or pencil on high setting and make little circles back and forth across the tear, working your way from one end of the tear to the other. Use a flat side of the iron to work the material. You'll get the hang of it quickly.

I've poked the shaft through the fins countless times and have had tears from braid cutting into the fins. I've probably fixed my turbo fins in this fashion 15 times and am still on the same original pair of fins. I've probably straightened the shaft about the same amount of times. I'm a little rough on those fins.

One more thing. Keep the shaft inside the turbo fin while you're doing the repair. You don't want to deform that area and not be able to get the shaft back in.

You're not really melting the material so that it's dripping. You only melt it enough to push the material around and repair the part where your mast has poked through. I know that the bike patch works too, but I wanted to stay away from that. I've cut the fins with braid before too. I didn't want a patchwork of pieces of rubber all over my fins. The fin does not adhere to the mast after you do this. I would try the soldering iron first. If you don't like the fix or screw it up a bit, you can always spend a few bucks and get the patch. Trust me, it's really easy if you take it slow.

[Slap]

If there were an expert in Hobie fin repair it would be Pinch, the bike repair kit works. I'd go that route.