Adjusting the rudder on Oasis with dual steering

Looking for some good pointers on adjusting the rudder on my 2012 Oasis, with dual steering. It's been a PITA.

Hard to get is "centered" with the same swing on both sides.

Also, hard to get it to turn sharp, both directions. Seems like the rear steering knob interfere with with the outside edge of the boat, so I don't get a good swing.

My old 2000 tandem, and my 2008 Outback (with same rudder) are both much easier to adjust.

Ideas? Video?

Thx

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Seevee
Mirage Oasis Tandem
Mirage Outback

Place the steering handles in the middle of their range of motion. (Typically 20-30 degrees inboard) This is not pointing straight forward. Loosen the control lines... Move the rudder to the center position and tension the lines again.

http://static.hobiecat.com/digital_assets/Twist-n-Stow_Repair_Manual.pdf

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

_________________
Jacques Bernier
http://www.hobie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HobieCatCompany

Your 2000 tandem used an entirely different rudder system. It didn't have the Twist N Stow then or large sailing rudder. The Outback is a smaller boat and turns are more responsive than the longer, heavier Oasis.

Both rudder controls in the 2011+ Oasis are synchronized so what you get with one control should be similar to the other controller. That being said, the correction procedure is the same for all Hobie rudders.

I adjust the rudder at the rudder, not the handle. Visual position of the handles is irrelevant; even sweep of the rudder is what you want.
1. With the rudder down and locked, turn the handle (not the rudder) full left and full right. Note the difference in rudder deflection.
2. If there is any slack on the deflection lines at the rudder (with the rudder down, locked and pointed straight back), loosen the Phillips head screw on the side of the rudder that has the least deflection and take up the slack. Turn the handle again left and right and see if there is still a difference in rudder deflection left and right. Just by making the line taut this will improve the responsiveness and tracking.
3. If your rudder needs further correction, you'll have to loosen one side and pick up the slack on the other side. It may take two or three tries. I use an adjustable bevel square to eliminate guessing (looks like this):


FWIW: Turns with the Oasis will be sharper with one set of fins up and one down. Back set down and front set up gives the sharpest turns; Both sets down or actively pedaling give the broadest turns. This is because the fins act as a fulcrum and the shorter distance between rear fins and rudder provide the shortest fulcrum.

Seevee, synchronizing the steering handles on the Oasis can be a little trickier than has been suggested above. The info provided so far is correct for setting steering line tension and calibrating a single handle with the rudder, but if steering handles are out of whack from each other, falls short of providing full solution. If the issue you are having is getting both steering handles in the same positions, I am guessing that you need to look at the length of line that connects both steering handle cranks.

Look at the diagram posted by Jbernier. That line that connects the two steering handles... remove it. Tie a knot in the line and put it back. Did that help? If a little bit, tie a second knot and try that. Etc etc.

_________________
Kayak Fishing Specialist: SLH
https://slhobie.com.au

Seevee,

Did you ever resolve this issue? I have a 2013 Oasis tandem with the same issue. Here is the details of my issue.


1. The rear control can right turn sharp but not the left turn. Once the right sharp turn is performed, then the front control is locked. The front control can NOT move either direction until the rear control is center.

2. The front control can left turn sharp but not the right turn. Once the sharp left turn is performed, then the rear control is locked until the front control move back to center.

3. I checked all the lines and make sure no slack.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you~