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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:00 am 
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Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:55 pm
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Location: Virginia - USA
I have some friends who bought a 2013 TI and took it out sailing this weekend for the first time and had a blast. They describe that the rudder control, especially at speed, was extremely hard to turn left and right. I do not know if the rudder needs to be cleated on the TI like the Oasis, but I asked them if they cleated the rudder line after putting the rudder down and they said they could not recall.

They also mentioned like it seemed to veer off course to one side when sailing.

Q: Is the TI rudder control harder to move left and right under speed, is this normal? And does the rudder down line require cleating?

You get the idea as to the question...can experienced' TI's offer some thoughts I can pass on? Bob

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2013 Oasis w/ Sail
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:11 am 
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Location: CLEARWATER, MN
:( The only time my TI rudder seems to be hard to turn is when I drop the rudder too gently and it hasn't completely clicked into place. More than once I have lifted the rudder and then
dropped it back down and steering greatly improved.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:46 am 
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Location: Forster, NSW, Australia
You really do need to cleat the rudder fully down, as even a small amount of slackness in the down line will allow the blade to tilt back, and hugely load up the helm. The rudder is designed to have a portion of the blade in front of the rudder hingepin line, and this forward amount acts as a partial cantilever specifically to make stering easier.

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2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:59 am 
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Location: Polk City, Fl.
motobob,

I had a partly broken rudder pin and it made turning left harder than right. The pin had broken just above the bottom gudgeon about half way thru. I could not see the break with out removing the pin. It off set the rudder alignment making it hard to turn. Once I replaced the pin the steering was back to normal.

Larry. :mrgreen:

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:59 am 
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Location: High Point, NC
The faster you sail the more force will be needed to control the helm/rudder. And yes, the boat will veer off course when sailing under a good wind. The daggerboard prevents leeway, but not entirely on its own. You'll note that particularly on a beam reach, you will need to hold the rudder a bit off center in order to maintain a fairly straight course.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:01 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
TIDALWAVE wrote:
:( The only time my TI rudder seems to be hard to turn is when I drop the rudder too gently and it hasn't completely clicked into place. More than once I have lifted the rudder and then
dropped it back down and steering greatly improved.


Just to be clear... there is no "clicked into place" mechanical function. You simply have to pull the down line, fully seat the rudder (not under sailing load helps... round up into the wind) and cleat the line with tension on it.

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Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:14 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 5:55 am
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Location: Ocean City, NJ
When I got my TI, steering was hard. The cause was that the rudder did not fit the gudgeon well. It was too tight. I found that even with the control lines loosened, the rudder was hard to turn. I had to file a little off the mating surface to loosen it up.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:25 am 
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Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:55 pm
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Location: Virginia - USA
Thanks friends... I believe the answer lies in these first 6 replies and I'll make sure they check a couple of things on their Hobie and also bounce it off our dealer here. Their fun experience has convinced me to go from a 2013 Oasis to a TI sooner than later so I can enjoy the kayak (stand alone mode) and also a bigger sail (complete) and those the fun sailing advantages.

Bob

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2013 Oasis w/ Sail
Virginia


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 1:23 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
To clarify a point...

Rudders are balanced on their rudder pin axis, when fully down and held in place by the down line / cleat.

If the rudder moves aft in the housing (under sailing loads, the water pushes aft on the rudder), this makes the rudder less balanced and would require more force to steer. The force would be stiff and in either direction.

Same on a catamaran.

Correctly balanced helm has a small load on the tiller and allows the boat to turn into the wind if you let go of the tiller control. Moving the rudder forward in the housing reduces helm load. Moving too far forward can cause the boat to turn downwind and reverse the load on the tiller. You would be pushing instead of pulling. Not good.

Most issues are related to the down line not being pulled hard enough and held by the cleat. You can check this at the shore. Pull the rudder down and cleat. Go back to the rudder and pull back on the rudder tip with your hand. If it moves aft with little to no effort, the down line is not pulled / cleated hard enough.

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Hobie Cat USA
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