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PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 9:53 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3057
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
I know I have broken plenty of rudder pins, we sail by the brail method, and have busted dozens of rudder pins (I have ran the dealer out of them a few times now (lol)). 99% of the failures are always self imposed (I accidentally bump the bottom during launch, half breaking the pin, then when out sailing away minding my own business all of a sudden the rudder flies up into the air with a loud crashing sound, and I then have no steering of any kind. If it's rough out there, I don't know how guys are replacing their pin in rough water, I've almost drowned a few times now trying. Or I'm sailing way too fast and exceed the rudder pins (or AMA sheer pin) original design specs (which I do all the time (oops, my bad)).

If you look carefully at this pic, you will see a safety thingy (the grey spectra cord in the pic,,,,Ignore the planing hull mod and the other junk, thats just the way my boat looks).
Image

I have a similar loop wrapped around the gudgeon on the bottom with an eyelet of spectra string that just slips over the end of the rudder pin when installing the new pin. The Hobie grey Spectra rudder line is like 500 lbs break no-stretch line that lasts literally forever (the loop I have on the bottom is 3-4 or so yrs old now).

What used to happen is I would bump the bottom (usually when launching without knowing it), the rudder pin would break at either the bottom or at the top (but never both), I would go out sailing and the first time I put serious stress on the rudder it would take out the other joint and the rudder makes a loud boom noise and flies into the air (no steering at all).
With this setup I still break rudder pins like crazy, but when they break, only the bottom or the top breaks (steering becomes a little harder, so I know it's busted). The spectra string prevents the rudder from flopping around, and typically the other joint doesn't break. I can still steer (just not as good, (you know whens it's busted)). I then make my way to shore somewhere close (or a local sand bar), and make repairs at my leisure (never any emergency). I've been out in rough stuff a few times now with a partially broken rudder pin, and had to fight my way back, but I could still at least steer. Of course if you slam into anything really really hard, the spectra just breaks also before taking out the gudgeon or the hull. It's just a secondary safety thingy that's all, I came up with this one at the same time I came up with the AMA safety lines which a couple people have incorporated. I've always had one on the bottom (80% of the time the bottom joint breaks first), only recently (the last yr or two), have also incorporated a safety thingy at the top as well. If you watch my video about hardening a TI that I made a couple yrs ago, I describe the safety loop at the bottom in the video.
The spectra line at the top has a loop in it wrapping around the rudder pin. I have mine on the top just attached to a handy spot on my removable hull planing mod. It would be just as easy to attach the spectra line to the cleats in the back where the rudder bungy goes (where I have it attached when I don't have the condom on (my wife is not very forgiving to my mods and antics (not just with the boat,,,, everything...), and calls my planing hull mod my condom (lol)), she makes fun of me on a regular basis, just sayin It's gotta really suck being married to a genius that only sleeps a couple hrs a night, I'm lucky she puts up with me.

These stupid safety rope thingys (both this and the AMA safety thingy) are just a silly little things that costs maybe $.50 cents and takes 5 minutes to install just one time, then it's on the boat forever, but it could save your life someday...... they have has saved mine (multiple times).
Hope this helps
FE


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 7:25 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:59 am
Posts: 100
Thanks for sharing. I hear you about replacing the rudder pin on rough day.
How did you make "removable hull planing mod" ?

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 6:39 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3057
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
I took pics during construction and posted on the ultimate tandem island thread on this forum, you can find it with the search function. (Most boring thread ever btw)
The hull mod just straps onto the hull like a sandal and you just tie the straps with shoe lace and granny knots (the only knots I know lol).
It was actually a fun weekend project for me , who the heck knew the darn thing was goin to work so well. (That's why I made it removable because I didn't expect it to work, and didn't want to be stuck with it. We also still like to car top and kayak a lot without all the massive sailsets and engines , you don't need it in kayak mode (BTW,,, the TI as a kayak ( without AMA's) is the best kayak we have ever owned).
Yea I could have made it from carbon fiber (about $500 bucks for the carbon fiber), and could have used West systems epoxy (the very best, but would have been a few hundred bucks for the Epoxy), and I could have finished it out with real gelcoat colored white ($40 bucks a quart (would have taken about a gallon). When all said and done it would have weighed maybe 6-7 lbs.
I'm a cheapskate (because I have no money (lol)) so I didn't bother with any of that stuff.
Instead I just cut out cardboard forms from scrap boxes, taped them together with masking tape, then just poured two part urethane foam (it's called 4 lb foam). A gallon of the stuff costs like $60 bucks mailorder.
The six attachment ropes are just paracord tied to big washers that I dropped in halway thru the construction.
I bought a can of urethane release spray and sprayed the hull down first (so the urethane foam wouldn't stick to the hull. With the hull upside down and the cardboard forms taped on I just poured the foam into the forms. My only regret after the fact is I should have put a thin cloth layer (thin ripstop nylon) on first before laying the foam (my bad).
After the foam setup (about 15 minutes, it sets up really really fast, I ended up with the foam all over my hands, arms, cloths, and all over the shop , it's the most sticky nasty stuff I have ever messed with (it expands like 20-30 times it original size (who knew lol)), I ended with triple the size I needed all over the floor and me as it over ran my forms (my bad). Lets not talk about that booboo (lol)
After removing all the cardboard forms, I just sculpted the foam with a coarse disk sander and sureform body file. Got a little carried away the first attempt, and had to apply a little more foam to a few spots (lol).
Instead of expensive epoxy and carbon fiber, I opted for just Walmart fiberglass cloth and Bondo polyester resin (about $30 bucks worth), I could have added fancy color to it but I didn't (yea it looks like crap), didn't bother because I didn't expect it to work at all (was expecting it to be a big waste of time (I have had many of those, just like crazy Thomas Edison, 1000 bad ideas for every one good one).
There was a guy entered in the Everglades challenge 300 mile endurance race this year (I didn't meet him or talk to him, heck I don't even know his name).
However I did get a chance to look at his boat the night before race launch (he wasn't there at the time), gotta tell you I was impressed, he did everything right. Beautiful workmanship (gelcoat), had all the right design criteria for increased flotation and a really good planing hull design, he even incorporated his bowsprit into the glasswork (masterclass workmanship, that only us boatbuilders appreciate).
As a side note, the mast on the TI is mounted way too far forward too accomidate the second seat, if adding massive sailsets to the boat you kinda need at least a 2ft bowsprit, like it or not.
99% of the TI owners out there prefer the simplicity of the basic boat as it comes from the factory, so there really is no place to go with the design, kinda wasting your time trying to mod it out. If you want a gofast boat start with an F18 class cat ( ie... Hobie Wildcat as an example ,,, just my opinion). I have champaign taste but work on a beer budget, I can afford a hundred bucks in material to design and make my own sails here and there, but will never have the $20 grand or so to make a real boat (lol). So I just make do and have a lot of fun with what ai do have, I'm out there most weekends having a blast. Don't really care much what anyone thinks or does, I'm just doin my own thing and having fun (I like working with my hands and making crap up to occupy my mind (I only sleep a couple hours a day and don't know what to do with myself). I was asked by others to share some of my crap on the forum, (something I normally wouldn't do, I'm very introverted (and I can't spell either (lol), so I do, take it all like a grain of salt.
FE


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 1:55 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:58 am
Posts: 2893
Location: Forster, NSW, Australia
I think I just spotted a coded message:-
Quote:
I was asked by others to share some of my crap on the forum, (something I normally wouldn't do, I'm very introverted


Who are you, and what have you done with fusioneng, and how much is the ransom? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker


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