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A curious aspect of this vexing issue is the large variance in boat behaviour experienced by owners. Some boats demand to be cleated or the blade lifts while others perform beautifully either way. Some boats seem to experience internal mechanism problems from the beginning. My own AI steers perfectly well in both kayak and sail mode with the line cleated or not cleated without the blade lifting in all wind and wave conditions.
There are some " reasons" why the rudder may not need to be cleated down. One is simply boat speed and how hard you steer.
Previous to the line up / down system (T Handle), the up/down lever system had an over-center action that helped hold the rudder down.
Since the rudder design includes a "hook" to keep the rudder down, this may be what "works". This requires proper adjustment in the rudder drum.
We also had a small plunger system in the drum for a very short period of 2009 production. If it functions correctly, it holds the rudder down.
This being unreliable, we added the cleat to the line system and removed the plunger in the fall of 2008 (early 2009 production).