Bought an Eclipse yesterday and when we set it up at home found that the rudder installed backwards. Rather than "catching" in the rear and bungie to the front it's 180 degrees. Believe me we tried the opposite 100x. The plate on the top of the board is arrow forward and logo aligned (from the back). I found an explore view of the rudder assembly and I think it's possible that it was assembled backwards by the dealer or hobie.
Before taking this apart I'd like to be sure that's actually possible and ideally get more detail on the assembly before any attempt at self correction.
Solver my own problem. Removed the sticker, unscrewed the phillips-head and dropped the bottom assembly out of the boat. flipped it 180 and screwed it back together. Ever curious, pulled the top off as well - seems important to make sure that the rudder lines are clear and that the re-centering bungie is in contact with the pully when reassembling the top cap.
Sadly we have whitecaps today, so not a good day for play, but glad to have this resolved. If Hobie is listening, might want to key the assembly, or at least stamp an arrow in the foot of the assembly to prevent accidental 180s like this. Because of the shape of the board, the rudder *barely* clears to insert (really needs some patience), so even determining that its flipped around is quite difficult. We looked hard at it and scratched our heads for some time. A flashlight was needed (for us) to confirm that it was definitely reversed and to install the fin.
Awesome! Sorry for the error.
I have this same issue, brand new and the rudder will only go in backwards. Makes it impossible to use. Thanks Bapestar for posting the solution. I will give it a go myself to avoid a long drive to take it back. Matt is this common? Does it effect the warrenty if I do it myself?
pretty difficult to screw up. There's some re-centering tensioners that you'll see in there, just make sure they don't come off or get pinched when you flip the plate. You'll be fixed in 3 minutes!
Then, I'd go to your dealer and demand they buy you a beer.
Does it affect the warranty if I do it myself?
Not at all. Thank for handling that and sorry for the problem.