Hoodoo Sports Fin Drive Assembly and Maintenance

When you order your Hoodoo Kayak, it is going to ship with several boxes. They will have everything you need to get out on the water on the same day. At Hoodoo, we do as much as we can so you have as little assembly as possible, but there is still some. All you will need is some basic tools to get going. And like any equipment, there is some maintenance. We will go over that here in detail. 

Assembly

 When you first open the box with your drive in it, you will see the left pedal, the right pedal, and the foot straps. The fins, cables, and main body of the drive will already be assembled. All you have to do is attach the pedals and straps (optional). The stainless steel bolts that secure the pedals will not be in a separate bag but in their place on the drive. To attach the foot pedals, you will only need one tool: a 15mm wrench or a Crescent Wrench.

1. Remove the stainless steel bolts from the pedal housing. 

2. Take one of the pedals and depress the orange lever on the shaft of the pedal. This moves the adjustment pin inward so it slides into the slot on the top of the pedal housing.

3. Slide the pedal with the lever depressed into the line up the bolt hole on the bottom of the pedal shaft with the one in the house where you removed the stainless steel bolt. 

4. Release the orange lever and allow the pin to seat. We recommend in the center. It can be adjusted later for comfort. 

5. Once everything is aligned, use the stainless steel bolt to secure the pedal shaft. There is no need to over-tighten or add any thread lock. 

6. Repeat these steps for the other pedal. 

7. Installing the strap by attaching the rubber strap to the hooks on either side of the pedal.  

Maintenance

The most important part of maintenance is making sure you flush with clean, fresh water the Hoodoo Fin drive system after use. This is especially important after using it in saltwater. If you damage a fin on an oyster reef or some other structure, you can easily replace it. To replace the fin, follow the steps below. 

1. Remove the brass nut that holds the fin up tight to the pin and the drive. 

2. Remove the split ring that keeps the pin in place. 

3. Remove the pin.

4. Slide the fin off the fin shaft. 

5. To attach the new fin, follow these steps in reverse. 

Note: Make sure the brass nut is snug when you install it.  

The drive chain and cable can also be replaced in the event they are damaged. To replace or adjust them, follow the steps below. 

1. The cable wraps around the entire drive. Each side of the drive has a nylon lock nut. Loosen the nylon lock nut on either side of the drive. 

Note: You do not have to remove them completely. They just need to be loose enough that there is enough slack in the cable to pull it over the keeper on the cable wheel. 

2. With the cable now slack, slide it over the keeper on the cable wheel. 

3. Replace with the new cable. Run it the same way as the old cable. 

4. Tighten the nylon lock nuts on either side of the drive. Do not over-tighten them. Take care to tighten them evenly.  

Note: When tightening the nylon lock nut, be sure to do it evenly. The best way to do that is to set the fin up so both pedals are in line; the drive will pull in one direction or the other if they are not tightened equally. 

Conclusion

All drive parts are available at the Hoodoo online store. If you cannot find or do not know what you might need to fix your drive. Or if you just need help getting your drive ready again to be on the water. You can always call and speak to one of our experts, and they can get what you need on order.