mkrawats wrote:
This may confirm Matt's theory. Several weeks ago, Matt theorized that that rudder blade may become warped due to the factory-installed bungee strap being too tight. Even with one cord over and one cord under the blade, the tight bungee cord may be warping the rudders.
I am not so certain...
After employing the fixes of shimming the
rudder out to meet the locking tongue and groove, as described on the other thread, I do not experience the same issues any longer.
My
rudder is stored under the bungee and it still performs correctly when deployed.
The issue is not a warpage issue per-se but rather one of design, although it is clear that the bungee can and does warp the
rudder if used incorrectly. From what I have seen on my boat even if the
rudder was warped by the bungee, which it is not, that warpage would not inhibit the locking function, BUT, this is only true when the
rudder is shimmed to properly engage the locking mechanism. When the
rudder is left as built the sloppy fit would only be exaggerated and the errant conditions exacerbated.
At this point all the technicians and designers involved at Hobie know what the problem is, and they know how to fix it, whether or not management and the sales reps will get out of the way and let them actually do it remains to be seen.