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 Post subject: weather helm port tack
PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:28 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:57 am
Posts: 222
Location: Phuket, Thailand
Weather helm on port tack.....I'm reading lots about this, seems to be a problem with a lot of AI's. Why port tack, why not starboard too? Daggerboards asymetric in the boat its on the starboard side I wonder if having it centred would cure this problem?

Philip


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:10 pm 
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Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:37 am
Posts: 26
Location: new york,ny
Hey Philip!

Do you have the new balance sailing rudder that Hobie has just come out with? I tried mine out today and had no problem with weather helm on either the port or starboard tack. It worked just great with little or no adjustment needed for course correction. If you get the balanced rudder I think your weather helm problem will be solved.

Norman Ernsting a.k.a. Punchinello on www. kayakfishingstuff.com


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:32 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:57 am
Posts: 222
Location: Phuket, Thailand
Hi Norman,

Thanks for your reply

No I dont but I am trying to procure one thru a UK dealer. I bought the boat abroad in Thailand and am stuck miles from the sea until I return there in October. As you can imagine theres not the kind of product support available out there that you have in the states. When I left Thailand in May mine was the only A1 in the country so I am depending on obtaining replacement parts here.

Some more questions....will the balanced rudder not only cure the weather helm but also have less of a tendency to pop out of the lockdown screw? Whilst I understand it may be necessary to reef the sail to prevent this happening but there are going to be other indicators that will let you know you need to shorten sail LONG before the rudder kicks up!!! Mine was kicking up in about 10 knots of wind The drum tension is tight enough, I know because even 'teasing' the rudder from side to side whilst raising it there was still a lot of tension on the rudder uphaul line.

As always many thanks to advice given on this forum, its a lifeline if your sailing abroad where noone really knows enough about the product your using to be able to help.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:39 am 
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Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:37 am
Posts: 26
Location: new york,ny
Hey Philip!

Yes to all your three questions on the new balanced rudder!

It will cure your weather helm.
You shouldn't even need to used the lockdown screw.
You shouldn't need to reef down to stop weather helm as there isn't any.

Only need to reef down if you bury the leeward ama and then reefing down will increase your speed.

I was out for four hours sailing in 10-15 mph winds and gusts of 20 this past Saturday and it was one of the best sails ever. Really a blast!!
The new rudder makes all the direrence and helps make the AI a perfect sailing machine.

Hobie as already mailed out the new rudder to all AI owners who have registered their warantees. Whatever address you put on the warantee is where it will be sent. Otherwise, contact Hobie directly and they should be able to post your new rudder to the UK.

Guess you were the first kid on the block in Thailand with your new toy.

Also check out www.kayakfishingstuff.com for further info on the AI.
I'm list there as Punchinello.

Good sailing,

Norman


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 12:26 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:12 pm
Posts: 5
Not sure why I am not experiencing the improvements everyone else is raving about. My dealer put the new rudder on, and I have the same weather helm on port tack as before. Starboard is a dream, but on port, I can barely keep her on course. What am I missing?

Kelly
Sail Fast.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:58 pm 
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Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:48 pm
Posts: 129
Location: Virginia Beach, Va.
I have the same problems. The reason is that on the starboard tack the rudder is held tight to the mount. On a port tact it can flex and come off the lock down bolt.

I tried bolting mine solid by drilling it all the way through and using a stainless steel bolt and nut but it just blew out the bottom of the lock down hole. I am stringing a bunj ball clip through the hole and up around the top in front of the rudder pin and back around the bunj ball.

It seems to work almost as good as locking it down solid but will still pop off if I run a ground and always returns to lock down position on its own.

It is not a solution I would advise unless yours is in the same shape as mine. Another thing to check is that your lock down bolt is lining up with the hole on the mount side. If it dosen't line up then screwing the plastic bolt in just pushes the rudder away from its lock down position. Mine didn't line up and that was what started my problems.

gwiz


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:28 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:12 pm
Posts: 5
Hey, GWIZ,

Thanks for the tip. Although I am not ready to modify my rudder just yet, I did just check out what you were talking about, and the rudder does lift when side pressure is applied to the right side of the rudder, which is what would happen when on port tack.

I found that the rudder lock down screw was already screwed down, not allowing the rudder to completely deploy under the small tab that holds it in place when on a port tack. Not sure if it came form the factory that way, or the dealer did it during rudder replacement. This will probably solve the issue Ive been having. I'll find out tomorrow.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction, because I was going down the road of getting a deeper rudder made.

KellyrAI
Sail fast!


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 Post subject: Lock-down screw
PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:32 am 
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Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2007 2:50 pm
Posts: 1
Location: Connecticut
Is the lock-down screw suppose to be threaded into the rudder assembly or simply detented in?

I suspect it is just a detent.

Brand new to the AI (picked up on 7/4/7). Had issues on first heavy-air sail with loosing rudder force on beam tack to run on port side. Did not have the screw turned down. Climbed back and turned it down but still lost rudder on port side. On land later I found the screw and the hole did not line up well. I will fix once I read up on this rudder assembly.

25+ years on sailing cats (Hobie 16) and windsurfers - purchased AI on first site, been out only twice and I am hooked.

Thanks,
Tom


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:38 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:23 am
Posts: 39
Location: Belfast, Maine
Hello AI fans---It's a rainy day here in Maine so instead of sailing I thought I'd touch base with you all. I've been sailing my AI since March and love it. My longest trip has been up the coast about 16 miles. Unlike other craft one can sit in this boat for hours in total comfort except for the wet butt problem. Does anyone make dry shorts? Why doesn't Hobie make a spray skirt for the AI? Have any of you tried the new Hobie dodger and if so what do you think? I wonder if some of the rudder problems people are experiencing are simply a matter of not pushing the up down lever all the way down. Just using the lever to get the rudder in the water is not enough. On my boat I must push the lever all the way down, I can feel it lock in. If not locked in it can ride up. Try it on saw horses and you'll see. It is important to have the center bolt adjusted just right so the blade goes up and down easy Also I've discovered seaweed on the rudder can mess up control. Another point for new users---the centerboard must be bungied off to the post to the right of the seat. Otherwise it folds back and you don't head up well. There's been some talk about the AI not being a two-seater. Mine is!!!!! My fiancé's rides in comfort on the black 8 inch hatch in front of me and uses me as a back rest. Also my thirteen year old son loves riding with me. He prefers standing on the forward hatch with is aft foot in the mirage well and the majority of his weight on that foot so that the boat is balanced and he doesn't block the flow of air over the leeward side of the sail. The boat still cranks along like it's only me in it. On runs he sits on the forward hatch cover leaning back on the mast with a hand on each aka. This is a blast because the added weight up front helps the boat catch waves and we can sometimes ride them. I get almost no water in the IA. I put tape over the control lines in front of the rudder where they exit the boat to discourage water from entering there. I also took car paste wax and rubbed it into the area under the hull where the mast step has fittings. My forward hatch doesn't leak at all because with my son up there water is continuously submerging the deck yet no water is getting in. I keep my boat set up in the back of my pick-up on thick pool noodles. They make it very easy to roll the boat in and out. I have double noodles on the tail gate to raise that end. I've located one other AI owner in Maine and we plan to get together for racing. If there are other AI owners in the state we would like to have you join us. Contact me. dougDNer

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DougDNer


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 Post subject: It's fixed!
PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:31 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:47 pm
Posts: 21
Location: Edgewater MD
I have the new rudder and found that it makes a huge difference. I also adjusted the rudder lines. This combination has made a world of difference! Now my Port tac is just as much fun as the starboard!

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