squeaky GT mirage drive

Is or was the noise audible when you have the drive out of the kayak & you operate the pedals by hand?

I just listened to your original video & squeaking noise. That almost sounds like it's coming from the hull somehow.

Have you added some tubing to the ends of the drive where it rests onto the hull at the front & rear of the drivewell to keep the drive from rocking in the well?

I'm thinking a graphite grease.But in reality Derrick just bought one and I told him I would perfer bushings. First one piece of sand in there would be like the old skate boards when we were kids. The diameter of those roller bearings a piece of sand would be like a boulder in there. One reason I like a bushing there instead of roller bearings. I have not looked at the parts list but if the seal is substantial that could be a problem. And they should have designed a sealed plastic ball bearing. Or sealed marine ball bearing. One last comment are you sure the squeak is the bearing or is it a seal rubbing on something. I have sold thousands of bearings and seals. they just do not make defective ones very often. Something is off in the engineering, maybe too close of tolerance clearance. Hobie some advice those shafts are not that high speed that you need bearings.   

Perhaps a motorcycle chain wax.  Goes on wet, gets through and through, then drys, leaving a wax barrier.  Doesn't attract dirt like most lubes.  Otherwise, a graphite that works the same; a volatile vehicle that carries graphite in to the bearing, then dries to leave a finish that won't attract dirt.  The type I'm thinking of is for lubing door locks.   

Is or was the noise audible when you have the drive out of the kayak & you operate the pedals by hand?

I just listened to your original video & squeaking noise. That almost sounds like it's coming from the hull somehow.

Have you added some tubing to the ends of the drive where it rests onto the hull at the front & rear of the drivewell to keep the drive from rocking in the well?

I'm pretty sure that squeak in the video was caused by the ends of the bearings rubbing against the plastic that holds them in place. There is some discussion on the Hobie website, and they say that you only need to use a little grease, and it's to keep that area from rubbing.

I'm thinking a graphite grease.But in reality Derrick just bought one and I told him I would perfer bushings. First one piece of sand in there would be like the old skate boards when we were kids. The diameter of those roller bearings a piece of sand would be like a boulder in there. One reason I like a bushing there instead of roller bearings. I have not looked at the parts list but if the seal is substantial that could be a problem. And they should have designed a sealed plastic ball bearing. Or sealed marine ball bearing. One last comment are you sure the squeak is the bearing or is it a seal rubbing on something. I have sold thousands of bearings and seals. they just do not make defective ones very often. Something is off in the engineering, maybe too close of tolerance clearance. Hobie some advice those shafts are not that high speed that you need bearings.

I agree that sand is going to be a problem here. I suspect that the lesser noise I've been getting is due to some grit in there due to pedaling in the surf zone (and maybe even has something to do with that wipeout...).

Graphite sounds like it could be an option, but I'd like to avoid grease if possible.

Perhaps a motorcycle chain wax.  Goes on wet, gets through and through, then drys, leaving a wax barrier.  Doesn't attract dirt like most lubes.  Otherwise, a graphite that works the same; a volatile vehicle that carries graphite in to the bearing, then dries to leave a finish that won't attract dirt.  The type I'm thinking of is for lubing door locks.

I happen to have some graphite spray on hand (just used it on the door locks last week...), so I'll give that a try. I'm thinking it'll wash off fairly fast, but if it does the trick, I don't mind re-applying after each use.

Btw, one guy on the Hobie group claims that he removes one of the the plastic bearings from each axle and it works just as well. That might make it easier to flush out any dirt that gets in there.

And one last thing... What about PTFE (i.e., teflon)? They do sell 1/8" rods, which would seem to fit, and they are said to be self-lubricating:

http://info.craftechind.com/blog/bid/259158/Top-5-Materials-for-Plastic-Bearings-Used-on-Metal-Surfaces

PTFE probably wouldn't last as long as delrin, but other than that it looks like a better choice.

Try dumping some water on the pedal shaft. If that gets rid of the squeak then lube it before you go out next time.
I had the same squeak at UVR and it was really pissing me off.
I did what I mentioned and it went away.
Used it all day for 2 days at Albion this weekend and never heard a sound.

Tried the graphite spray today. After trolling almost nonstop for over 5 hours, I'd say it worked a lot better than anything else I've tried. It does leave a black residue on everything, but that doesn't bother me. I plan on re-spraying after each use.

Just got a GT myself and it does squeak a little already, with only one use. 

Just got a GT myself and it does squeak a little already, with only one use.

The first time I used my GT upgrade (no grease or lube of any kind) it was fantastic---not a sound. The next time, only a small squeak, but the third time it was the constant screech in the video. So, without some lube, you might soon be driving the ultimate shark-calling machine...

OK, I think I've finally resolved this to my complete satisfaction.

First, a quick recap... I've got a 2013 Hobie Adventure (no Island). I recently upgraded my mirage drive to GT. It makes for easier pedaling, but it quickly developed an annoying squeak. Grease is recommended by Hobie. I tried that, but when I crashed in the surf zone (not too unusual for me . . .), grit got in there, and I had to disassemble and clean it out. I swore I wasn't going to use grease again.

So, I tried graphite spray and it worked, sort of. The limitations are that it has to be used every time, and it's got to be bone dry inside for the spray to get in there and do its magic. Graphite spray is also messy stuff.

After dealing with the hassles of graphite for a while, I decided to try something completely different. I got ahold of some 1/8" PTFE (teflon) rods and cut my own bearings from that. I replaced all of the acetal (delrin) rollers bearings with PTFE bearings. It was quiet and no lube was needed. Unfortunately, PTFE is soft and it wore quickly, especially on the main axle, which has short bearing rods that take a lot of pressure.

Then I read this article about different plastics used for bearings:

http://info.craftechind.com/blog/bid/259158/Top-5-Materials-for-Plastic-Bearings-Used-on-Metal-Surfaces

Among other things, it says, "nylon is quiet in operation, resists abrasion, wears at a low rate". That caught my eye, so I got some 1/8" nylon rods and cut bearings from those.

The nylon bearings have worked great without any lube, and I'm sure they'll last. The only (minor) issue is that the diameter of the nylon is slightly less than the delrin bearings (although slightly more than the PTFE). It's very, very, very slightly less, like less than 1/100". But it is enough that there is ever-so-slightly more looseness in the crank arms when using nylon as opposed to delrin. For me, it doesn't makes any difference.

If noisy GT roller bearings are driving you nuts, then you might want to give nylon bearings a try. They're cheap, it's an easy mod, and it's worked well for me. Of course, you could still get clicks and pops from other parts of the drive system, but I've found those things much easier to deal with than squeaky bearings.

Btw, the picture shows 1/8" delrin (black), teflon (white), and nylon rods.