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 Post subject: Difficulty steering
PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:22 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:18 pm
Posts: 3
I took my AI out last weekend for the first time this summer and I had a lot of difficulty steering. I had to use two hands to stay on course and I had to use so much force that I had to turn around and come back to shore. The difficulty was equal on both tacks. I did not have the same difficulty before. Steering lines to rudder are both taut and tiller moves rudder easily with no wind load on boat. Anyone else run into this problem? Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks, William.


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 Post subject: Re: Difficulty steering
PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:58 pm 
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Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:32 am
Posts: 1807
Location: Terrigal NSW, Australia
Did you have the rudder pulled down tight and cleated? Was the wind very strong and if so, did you furl the sail a bit?

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 Post subject: Re: Difficulty steering
PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:02 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:18 pm
Posts: 3
Nice pic :) Yes it was down and cleated and the wind was not strong enough to require reefing.


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 Post subject: Re: Difficulty steering
PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:25 am 
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Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 2:31 pm
Posts: 3068
Location: Kailua 96734
Gris. This is exactly the symptom you would see when the rudder begins to slip up (becomes more horizontal than vertical). That indicates a cleating problem.

If not, then your tiller arm may be binding on the hull or something else (the spring or pulley) when it's under load. It may be bent or loose.

Time to take out the hand mirror and trace things. Use a can of lube on all friction points


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 Post subject: Re: Difficulty steering
PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 11:18 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:18 pm
Posts: 3
Two of you, and also a Hobie employee, have now all said the same thing- that the rudder was not cleated properly. I am beginning to doubt whether in fact it was. I hope that was the problem. I will give it another go and will let you know the results. I will also try some lube too. Thanks for the input! Cheers.


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 Post subject: Re: Difficulty steering
PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 11:35 am 
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Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:32 am
Posts: 1807
Location: Terrigal NSW, Australia
One other thing. If you have a hull with a cleat for the rudder up-line, make sure the up-line is free of the cleat.

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