Mirage Drive Spare Parts Kit.

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by ful-rac

My mirage drive is about 3 years old, first time i replaced the masts. I broke one of the crank arms, idler pulley, changed out the drive cables, idler cable, changed out the drums....and thats about it. I use it at least once or twice a week.

As far as failure of parts...you just never know. It could happen at any time, to anyone. Anybody that has a used drive and you dont know the history of ...would make me nervous. Its expensive but a good investment. You never know when you can help yourself or someone else with a critical spare part.

To any other PA owners out there that only go fishing with a half a paddle....do yourself a favor and take the other half...otherwise your up shit creek with....only half a paddle...you know 1 legged man in an ass kickn contest....you get the picture.

Yes PAs are hard to paddle...but if your drive breaks....its your only way of getting home under your own power.

The failure of the drive components is very unpredictable. As an example, I had the drive on my previous kayak for four years and all I replaced were the cables, the idler pulley and a shaft. Tony, he replaced damn near every part in less time. I carry spare cables and a few feet of Dacron just in case my rudder line snaps......... better safe than sorry.

[Rambo]

Thanks for the great feedback and knowledge of the mirage drive guys. From a product perspective the mirage drive should not fail within the first year unless operator error or misuse. But considering the fact you went on 3 years on a used mirage drive that tells me the rate of failure should be very low. So it's safe to say after 2 years of usage its good to start having some extra parts in case of some faultiness with the mirage drive. And for those who does not maintenance their drive I would say you guys should be keeping some spare parts within the first year. Also if your not mechanically incline to disassemble and reassemble the drive buy an extra set and leave that in your car. This would be my opinion on a product that will see failure due to wear and tear but with proper maintenance I could see the product lasting 4 years without major components replacement.

[roadx]

curious if you even tried to remove the flipper and just use the one pedal?
sometime you have to do, what you have to do
having a back up plan either spare parts or a paddle is always smart.

[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by roadx

curious if you even tried to remove the flipper and just use the one pedal?
sometime you have to do, what you have to do
having a back up plan either spare parts or a paddle is always smart.

Yeah i tried to pedal with one fin..and it resulted in the PA violently rocking back and forth, and not much forward momentum. Paddling seemed like it was going to be quickest way and the most reasonable method to get back.

[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by Rambo

Thanks for the great feedback and knowledge of the mirage drive guys. From a product perspective the mirage drive should not fail within the first year unless operator error or misuse. But considering the fact you went on 3 years on a used mirage drive that tells me the rate of failure should be very low. So it's safe to say after 2 years of usage its good to start having some extra parts in case of some faultiness with the mirage drive. And for those who does not maintenance their drive I would say you guys should be keeping some spare parts within the first year. Also if your not mechanically incline to disassemble and reassemble the drive buy an extra set and leave that in your car. This would be my opinion on a product that will see failure due to wear and tear but with proper maintenance I could see the product lasting 4 years without major components replacement.

But considering the fact you went on 3 years on a used mirage drive that tells me the rate of failure should be very low. So it's safe to say after 2 years of usage its good to start having some extra parts in case of some faultiness with the mirage drive.

No, my mirage drive was brand new when i got it. It did not fail for the first time last week. Its failed rarely but it has failed every once and awhile throughout the time i have owned it.

You shouldnt assume anything will be fine after 2 years. Consider it like having a spare tire for your car or a patch kit. Sure you just bought new tires today but its possible that you could get a flat tomorrow...for what ever reason. Now would you leave the spare at home because you got a new set?

My situation i should have known better and had spare parts....

So basically, i got a flat and i didnt buy a spare, so i had to push my car home, up hill on sand....