The Hobies have a great rudder system. However, the way it pivots up and down, it could be vulnerable to sand and dirt, which could abrade against the parachute cord they use for the rudder linkage.

I noticed when I go to lift the yak, I had been lifting it up from the front and bracing the weight on the back before I lifted it over my head. This had caused some sand to get inside the rudder housing. After I took it apart and cleaned it I decided to try to avoid that tedious job in the future. I now lift it while it's in about 1' of water, get underneath it a bit, use the side handles to help me get under it, and lift using my legs (kind of like squats when you're weight training).

So far, no sand or grit in the rudder housing, and my cord will probably last forever this way. Just wanted to pass that along, as I read some were having rudder trouble out there.