How to set rudder rake

I just got a new to me hobie 18. I must say that I enjoy this boat a lot more than my friends 16's. It just seems to be a great all around boat.

Now after tuning as much as I can based on the hobie 18 tuning guide and taking the boat out for its first sail it has A LOT of weather helm. I mean it is a real chore to hold the tiller straight.

Before the "are the rudders locked down". They are locked and I sailed with a very experienced sailor to make sure we did not do anything stupid or something that would prevent us from making it back to the beach and he even said it was way to much pull.

So the question is what is the best way to set the rudder rake. I have measured the rake and there is NONE they are actually kicked aft when down. Now I am having trouble figuring out where to drill the holes because I am going to have to drill both the for and aft holes to get the proper 1-5/8 to 1-3/4 rake that the manual calls for.

Anybody's help will be greatly appreciated

Before you start measuring and drilling.....have you considered this and have you tried, in flat water, and in steady winds, to steer the Hobie with rudders UP?...(Bronze IV sailors will recognize this challenge).

Using more jib to bear off, and more main to head up, and body positioning/weight, one can steer the Hobie rather well. It also teaches one the boat's tendencies. In an ideal world, the boat will have almost neutral helm, with a slight tendency to head up into the wind. As you know, this is a safety feature.

My 18SX for example, is mostly neutral, until the wind reaches higher than about 8 knots. Then weather helm begins to kick in, light, but it's there. It is also possible that I am over-sheeting the main, so I'm adding tell tales this week to aid my 'measurements'.

Measure up 48" from the base of the mast, make a mark. From that mark, measure to both clevis pins at the bridles. Should be the same, at between 103" - 107". That sets your rake to an optimum position. Too little or too much rake, as you know, can affect how the Hobie performs (in terms of lee helm or weather helm).

Search the Forum re setting rudder rake...I remember readying about this...a long time ago. Enjoy your H18, a wonderful craft.

_________________
2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

Another problem might be - does it have the newer style castings with rudders drilled for the older style? (or vice versa?)

I had the same thought. First question would be what year is the boat, and what style rudder castings does it have? If it's from 1987 or earlier and it has the new-style rudder castings (with a plastic cam), then it's possible that the previous owner did not re-drill the rudders when they upgraded the castings.

The other question would be, were you using the jib when you took the boat for a sail? If you sailed with the main only, the boat will have more weather helm since the jib isn't there to pull the bow down.

I'd recommed you download the rudder hole template from this site, pull your rudders off, and verify that the holes are drilled in the correct location for starters.

sm

Also, don't forget to check your toe setting. I was feeling some helm weirdness over the weekend sailing downwind (gybing) in the waves. It would alternate from heavy weather to lee helm - gave me quite a workout. Upwind, noticed the windward rudder was cavitating a lot. Checked on the beach and sure enough, almost 3/8" toe-out . Not sure if it slipped or what. I corrected it and it made a huge difference.

_________________
Jeff R
'88 H18 Jolly Mon
'10 F18 Closely Called
cramsailing.com

We used both the main and jib. I guess I got to find the right rudder whole pattern and check to make sure that at least the front hole is in the right place.

2 questions:
What part of the country are you in ?

Second do you have the new or old style castings?

With this info the forum should be able to give you more help.

Cork Guy H18's
Northern CA.

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Corkguy H18, Tiger, Wildcat

Im in Charleston SC, and Its a 83' hobie 18 with original castings. My buddy who owns 3 hobies and about 2 more in parts thinks the rudders might be from a 16 originally. I shall try and get some pics on here to see what everyone thinks I should do.