Hayward Navigator Shoe, Wing, And Foot Pad Maintenance Guide
Quick Summary
- Shoes (foot pads) have a published wear indicator: replace when the wear mark wears to 0.250 inches. Hayward is explicit that damage from worn parts is not covered under warranty.
- Wings wear similarly and affect wall-climbing ability and side-surface traction before affecting floor movement.
- The rear flap is the third primary contact surface and should be inspected at the same time as shoes and wings.
- Shoe and wing inspection should be part of every seasonal startup visit and any service call where movement or climbing is degraded.
- Use only original Hayward parts — third-party shoes and wings may not match the correct material hardness or dimensions for the specific pool surface type.
Hayward Warranty Note
The manual states: "Hayward not responsible for damage caused by worn or broken parts. Or damage caused by misuse of the cleaner." Running a Navigator on worn shoes that then damage a pool liner or surface shifts repair liability to the owner/operator. Document wear findings and customer notification at every inspection.
Understanding The Three Wear Components
The Hayward Navigator drives itself using friction against pool surfaces. Three plastic components provide that friction:
- Shoes (foot pads): The primary bottom contact surfaces that grip the pool floor. Shoes are the highest-wear items on the Navigator and are the most frequently replaced components.
- Wings: Side-surface contact elements that extend from the body. Wings provide grip on vertical surfaces during wall-climbing and contribute to directional stability on the pool floor.
- Rear flap: The flexible flap at the rear of the cleaner body that controls the force against pool surfaces. The flap itself is adjustable (positions I, II, III) but the flap material can also crack or deform with age and pool chemical exposure.
Shoe Wear: Inspection Procedure
What to look for
The Hayward manual specifies a wear mark on each shoe — a raised indicator bump on the contact surface. The replacement threshold is when this mark wears to 0.250 inches. In practice:
- Good shoe: Visible wear mark bump on the curved contact surface. Material is consistent and has even profile across the width.
- Worn shoe: Wear mark approaching 0.250 inches — you can measure with a ruler or gauge. The contact surface may appear flat or slightly concave at the wear point. The shoe edges may be visibly thinner than at the center.
- Failed shoe: Wear mark completely gone, contact surface flat, or the shoe material is cracked, broken, or delaminating from the mounting point.
Inspection frequency
- Seasonal startup: Inspect both shoes at every seasonal startup visit before putting the cleaner in service.
- Any performance complaint: Inspect shoes immediately on any call involving slow movement, no movement, or failure to climb walls.
- Annual replacement: On pools in heavy daily use (resort properties, rental homes, high-debris environments), annual shoe replacement is reasonable regardless of visible wear — the inspection threshold may not catch gradual performance loss before it becomes a customer complaint.
Shoe replacement procedure
The manual illustrates a two-step shoe replacement process. The specific method varies slightly between Navigator model variants, but the general procedure is:
Step 1: Remove old shoe
- Remove the cleaner from the pool and set it on a clean, flat surface with the bottom facing up.
- Locate the shoe attachment points on the underside of the cleaner body. On most Navigator variants, shoes snap or clip into place.
- Press the release tab (if present) or flex the shoe body gently to disengage it from the mounting clips.
- Slide the shoe out of the retention channel. If stiff, a gentle tap with a rubber mallet may be needed on older units with corroded or swollen attachment points.
Step 2: Install new shoe
- Align the new shoe with the retention channel on the underside of the cleaner.
- Slide the shoe into position until it seats fully against the retention stops.
- Confirm the shoe is flush against the cleaner body and cannot be pulled off by hand.
- Repeat for the other shoe.
- After installation, confirm both shoes are identical — left and right shoe profiles may differ on some model variants.
Wing Wear: Inspection Procedure
What to look for
- Good wing: Consistent curved profile across the full contact surface. Material is firm and not cracked or delaminated.
- Worn wing: Contact surface appears flattened, especially at the outer edge where wall contact occurs most frequently.
- Failed wing: Visibly broken, cracked, missing material, or detached from the mounting hub.
Wing replacement procedure
The manual illustrates a four-step wing replacement process:
Step 1: Use a screwdriver to access the hub cap on the wing axle. The hub cap protects the wing retention mechanism.
Step 2: Remove the hub cap and expose the wing retention axle. The wing slides on this axle.
Step 3: Slide the old wing off the axle. The wing has a mounting bracket that engages the axle. Worn wings may require some force to remove if the bracket has deformed.
Step 4: Slide the new wing onto the axle and confirm it seats fully. Reinstall the hub cap and confirm the wing rotates freely through its normal range of motion. The wing should move freely but return to its operating position under gravity.
Important: The manual specifies for the Navigator Pro variant and A-frame pod connections — do not attempt to retighten loose pods. If a pod connection is loose, the pod assembly must be replaced entirely. Retightening a loose pod does not restore a secure connection and can allow the pod to fail unexpectedly in the pool.
Rear Flap Inspection
What to look for
- The rear flap should be flexible and maintain consistent contact with pool surfaces in any of the three adjuster positions.
- A cracked or hardened flap will not provide the correct contact force regardless of adjuster position setting — position III on a hardened flap may feel like position I or II on a new flap.
- Inspect the flap for brittleness by gently flexing it. A healthy flap bends easily and returns to position. A degraded flap is stiff, cracks when flexed, or feels deformed.
Turbine Access For Internal Inspection
The manual describes an "Easy Opening Bottom" feature for turbine access and inspection. This is not routine maintenance, but techs should know the procedure when internal inspection is required:
Step 1: Remove the cleaner from the pool. With the cleaner upright, locate the bottom access panel.
Step 2: The access panel is typically retained by a snap-fit or quarter-turn mechanism. Rotate or lift the panel as indicated by the arrow marking on the body to expose the turbine bay.
Through the access panel you can:
- Clean the rear screen of accumulated debris.
- Inspect the turbine blades for wear, deposits, or physical damage.
- Check the cone gear, spindle gear, and medium turbine assemblies for condition.
- Confirm all internal gear components rotate freely.
Maintenance Schedule For Service Routes
- Every service visit (high-use pools): Visual inspection of shoes and wings during the cleaner retrieval process. Takes 30 seconds — just flip it over before returning to the equipment room.
- Seasonal startup: Full inspection of shoes, wings, rear flap, hose connections, and flow gauge. Document findings.
- Annual or when performance degrades: Shoe and wing replacement proactively on units that run daily.
- On any movement or climbing complaint: Full wear inspection before any other diagnosis — worn parts cause most movement and climbing problems and are inexpensive to fix compared to an unnecessary service call investigating flow or steering.
Parts Notes
- Use only original Hayward parts. The manual specifies: "Use only original Hayward spare parts and hoses to insure proper operation."
- The Navigator product family includes several model variants. Confirm the correct shoe and wing part numbers for the specific model before ordering. Shoes and wings are not universally interchangeable across the full product line.
- Hayward technical support: 908.355.7995 (USA). Provide the model number from the label on the cleaner body when ordering or confirming parts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do shoes typically last on a residential pool?
Shoe life depends heavily on pool surface type and run hours. On a rough gunite pool running 4 hours per day, shoes typically last 1–2 seasons. On a smooth plaster or fiberglass pool running 3 hours per day, they may last 2–3 seasons. On commercial or high-use pools running 6+ hours per day, annual replacement is appropriate. The 0.250-inch wear mark is the hard replacement threshold — replace before you reach it on older units.
Do I need to replace shoes and wings at the same time?
Not necessarily, but they tend to wear at similar rates on pools where the cleaner gets equal use on floor and walls. If one is at the replacement threshold, the other is likely close. Replacing both at the same time avoids a second service call shortly after. It also makes sense from a billing standpoint — labor is the same whether you replace one or both.
Can worn wings cause issues beyond wall climbing?
Yes. Severely worn wings also reduce lateral stability on the pool floor — the cleaner may drift sideways rather than tracking in a straight line, which creates uneven pool coverage. Wings also affect how quickly the cleaner transitions from floor to wall. This is less obvious than the wall-climbing failure but still affects cleaning quality.
The rear flap adjuster won't hold its position. Is that a sign of flap wear?
The adjuster dial itself can loosen over time — it is a separate issue from the flap material condition. If the dial doesn't stay in the set position, inspect the adjuster mechanism for wear or damage. If the dial holds but the cleaner behavior doesn't match the expected position (e.g., position III feels like position I), inspect the flap material for hardening or deformation.