Serious weatherhelm

Howdy yall,

Ive finaly finished my restoration project and have been enjoying the boat for a change.

However i had her out yesterday and had some real issues with weather helm. Spacificly on a starboard tack but to some degree on a port tack.

Almost felt like the rudders were not locked down. But i verified that they were locking and staying locked


I suspect it has something to do with tuening th rudders but am not sure.

Any advice?

Thanks,
Nathan

While on shore... check the rudders when locked down... can you pull back on the rudder or is it firmly held forward in the lower casting? It may seem locked but could be slipping aft under water pressure loads.

What year model is the boat? If the boat has the adjustable cam plate in the upper casting it may be a simple adjustment. You can confirm that by looking at the top of the upper rudder casting and would see a bolt head and an elongated slot. On the underside it would be threaded into a plate that actuates the cam.

If you can't adjust you may need to re-drill the rudder for proper rake. there is a FAQ that I did on rudders that could help:

http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=467

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Thanks matt

Ill check it out. I do have the adjustment screw on the off the casting. My boat is frankinstined out of 3 or 4 hobies of different years. The rudders are from the 70s and the arms are from the 80s i belive. Could that be a contibuting factor?

Use the rake adjustment to kick the tips of the rudders forward to reduce helm. Test sail the boat on each tack kicking the windward rudder up on each tack so you can isolate each rudder and get each one dialed in independently.

Sail trim is also a huge factor when it comes to helm. If your jib is not sheeted in all the way, it can add considerable weather helm. Mast rake is another factor. Raking the mast back puts more load on the rudders and amplifies the weather helm. Even adjusting the downhaul can effect helm.

sm

Could be. The rudder bolt hole pattern changed slightly when the rake adjustable castings were introduced.

Thanks again guys. I appretiate the advice as always. I will look into those adjudtments theis evning. Maybe even put the boat in the stock tank.

We tend to talk about the pulling on the tiller as weather helm... if you let go, the boat rounds up. If you rake the rudders forward it reduces the pull and if you let go... the boat does not round up as quickly. If you adjust the rudders too far forward, you get lee helm and the boat rounds down.

We also rake a Hobie 16 mast aft to get the center of effort more over the rudders as they are the best lateral resistance of the boat.... and to keep the bows up of course!

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

As you rake your mast more aft, then you have to shift your weight more forward to lower the bows and level out the boat. Unfortunately, the further you move forward the greater the angle between the tiller/stick and tiller crossbar which will require more pull on the tiller/stick.

_________________
Tim
84 H16
82 H16
87 H14T
Tortola Sails: 115222
Blue Prism Sails: 88863
Clearwater, FL

True. Moving forward on the 16 is not usually faster and does cause that helm issue as well. Only in light air would I move forward. The boat likes to sail bow up going to weather. Rudders deep in the water.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)