Review of the MD 180 reversable Mirage Drive

“Roadrunner” posted an interesting two-part review of the new MD 180 (reverseable) Mirage Drive on the Hobie Cat forum.  The first part of the review discusses how the new drive works mechanically at http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=59266 . The second part of the review discusses the performance of the new drive at http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=59265 . These reviews are interesting and answer some questions I had about the new drive, such as whether it is possible to paddle backwards very far before the rudder gets out of line and makes the kayak spin out (short answer – yes).

Good to see some reviews.  How much is it is the next question. 

Good info. Thank you for taking the time to review this drive.

Thanks for posting. Roadrunner has done a ton of careful analysis of various Hobie parts, so I trust what he has to say.

I'm impressed that it's as efficient as the non-reversible drive, but I'm still dubious about the reliability. There are more moving parts, which means there's more that can go wrong on the water. I do like that they got rid of the "clew-outhaul", as that always seems like a weak link in the design. Anyways, I'm not going to be an early adopter since I've got no need for reverse...

Thanks for posting. Roadrunner has done a ton of careful analysis of various Hobie parts, so I trust what he has to say.

I'm impressed that it's as efficient as the non-reversible drive, but I'm still dubious about the reliability. There are more moving parts, which means there's more that can go wrong on the water. I do like that they got rid of the "clew-outhaul", as that always seems like a weak link in the design. Anyways, I'm not going to be an early adopter since I've got no need for reverse...

Great article, but what the hell is "clew-outhaul" ?

Thanks for posting. Roadrunner has done a ton of careful analysis of various Hobie parts, so I trust what he has to say.

I'm impressed that it's as efficient as the non-reversible drive, but I'm still dubious about the reliability. There are more moving parts, which means there's more that can go wrong on the water. I do like that they got rid of the "clew-outhaul", as that always seems like a weak link in the design. Anyways, I'm not going to be an early adopter since I've got no need for reverse...

Great article, but what the hell is "clew-outhaul" ?

It's the part with the little brass nut that you can tighten to move the blade (slightly) up or down on the rod. Highlighted in red a little ways down on this page:

http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49730

Thanks for posting. Roadrunner has done a ton of careful analysis of various Hobie parts, so I trust what he has to say.

I'm impressed that it's as efficient as the non-reversible drive, but I'm still dubious about the reliability. There are more moving parts, which means there's more that can go wrong on the water. I do like that they got rid of the "clew-outhaul", as that always seems like a weak link in the design. Anyways, I'm not going to be an early adopter since I've got no need for reverse...

Great article, but what the hell is "clew-outhaul" ?

It's the part with the little brass nut that you can tighten to move the blade (slightly) up or down on the rod. Highlighted in red a little ways down on this page:

http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49730

Thanks for the information, maybe I should look at my gear a little closer and do more maintenance.