Hi folks, greetings from this side of the pond - new to the board and to the AI but very enthusiastic about this little beast. Took delivery in mid-June and I've been waiting ever since to get her on the water - too much wind! Unheard of in a UK summer. Finally got her out at the weekend and had an absolute blast for about an hour - wind 3 gusting 4 - brilliant, brilliant fun.
Suddenly I found myself in a tack/gybe/tack cycle and eventually realised that the rudder was stuck on full right lock with no way to free it and blowing towards the shore. No major panic but puzzlement mainly. As has been said before on this board the T&S system is difficult if not impossible so I raised it manually and paddled to shore about a mile from where I should have been still puzzled.
Next day I checked out the rudder lever and found that one of the arms inside the hull, to which the rudder lines are attached, was fouling behind a moulding in the hull which is used for a fairlead (since this is my first time out I don't know what this is normally used for). If the rudder is pulled beyond a certain point then the arm slips over the internal moulding but wont slip back without some deft jiggling and until I'd felt around inside the hull this wasn't obvious. The rudder lines also seem to be very loose.
I have a couple of questions arising from this (BTW I don't have the rudder mod that Hobie have produced but my dealer is on the case here and he's been very helpful - topmanleisure.co.uk).
Has anyone else experienced this or is it just me
Does anyone know how tight the rudder lines should be and can they be too tight?
As I took her out in Poole Harbour, which is big but you will fetch up on a shore sometime in the not too distant future, this wasn't a major issue but if I'd gone out on the open sea it might have been a different story.
It hasn't put me off the AI one iota. It's such a brilliant craft and concept and Hobie's attitude to ongoing development, as demonstrated on this site, seems very encouraging. So - first outing major enjoyment, minor frustration. Onward and upward. Any help would be appreciated.