islandspeed2001 wrote:
Yes, yes and yes
At some point Hobie needs to take another look at the ability to use the twist/stow rudder for the PA's. Yes, the current rudder system is neat the way it folds up/etc., but it just doesn't do what it needs to do.
I don't know how well just the Twist and Stow would work alone. And since the two work so well in tandem the Yak will stay armed with two rudders. The fold up rudder actually makes the Twist and stow much easier to raise and lower. If the foldup is folded up, it makes the steering quadrant straight which aligns the twist and stow straight which makes the raising and lowering most efficient. So now I deploy the twist and stow, then lower the original rudder. De weeding or coming back in, I raise the original rudder first and then raise the twist and stow.
The only thing in the way of using the twist and stow on a PA is that rear handle. And after pinching my fingers every time I tried to use that handle to lower the rear to the ground while unloading from the roof rack, I would swear that I was going to find a better solution. I am going to put some eyes into the 5/16 - 18 threaded holes and use a strap and hook system with a piece of plastic pipe to make a useful handle.
I went out today in the ocean with the current running strong in the channel between the keys. There was also a crosswind. I was able to set the Yak straight and it would stay straight for minutes at a time before a small correction was needed. With just the original rudder the Yak wandered all over the place and if you let go of the rudder handle it would go to one side or the other full lock in a matter of seconds.
_________________
Hobie PA14 with a mod or two
Some random Modification Pictures