Weather helm on port tack

I know this has been covered in a previous thread, but I can’t seem to find it. I have a ton of weather helm or tiller pull on the port tack and very little on starboard tack. I am guessing it is in the rudder tuning and I believe Matt posted a rudder tuning guide before. Does any one have a link to that guide or any other advice of what I can do to correct this? Thanks.

Most likely a rudder rake issue (fore/aft positioning of the rudder tip). Does your boat have rudder castings with rake adjustment? Whay type of rudder blades do you have (lexan, EPO, fiberglass)?

sm

Yes, I believe they have rake adjustment because it has the screw on top of the casting.
I think they are lexan. I believe they could be the original rudders and my boat is an ‘83.
I thought it could be a rake issue too. I know I read a post somewhere by Matt Miller on how to adjust the
rake and the tow of the rudders but I can’t find it now.

Here is a good place to start,
https://static.hobiecat.com/digital_ass ... 1549373835

Look in the hobie 16 FAQ section also.

I remember seeing a hotline article about the rudder tuning but I can't find it right this second. There is a lot of good info in the hotline articles in general about the 16's

I am trying not to say this as I am enjoying snowmobiling right now but COME ON SPRING! I need to sail!

_________________
84 14T Redline #67 Blue Hawaii faded but still working!
82 Yellow hull16 '81 Boomer nationals 20.9 on GPS
83 White hull 16 No sails "Clean and Purty Now!"
87 White hull no sails no tramp

Most likely, if you are experiencing helm on port tack only, then the starboard rudder needs to be raked forward. First thing I would do is make sure the rudder is locking down completely and the upper tiller arm is fully engaged in the cam with the rudders down (do this with the boat on the trailer). Also, sail upwind on port tack with the windward rudder (port rudder) kicked up. This will confirm that the starboard rudder is what’s causing the problem.

If there’s space to rake the rudder forward, that’s where I would start and hopefully that will correct the problem. The other thing is that Lexan rudders are pretty notorious for having an inconsistent profile. If raking the rudder doesn’t help, then it’s very possible that the rudder is assymetrical and that could be what’s causing the problem. In that case, try switching the rudder blades (not the whole casting, just the blades themselves) to the opposite sides of the boat to see if the helm problem switches sides.

sm

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I will try these soon and report back.

I would also check to make sure that your shrouds are the same length.

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

just to cover all the bases - is your mast straight? I had to sail one summer with a bent mast and could feel the differences in the tiller.

_________________
1989 H16
2009 H16 squaretop

Yes, it is straight. I haven’t had time to sail lately or even mess with my boat. I will try all that has been suggested, hopefully soon, and report back. Thanks for all of the input.

Sailing FAQ is at the top of the sailing forum list:

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=18

Rudder rake FAQ:

https://www.hobie.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. The rudder rake guide is the one I was looking for. I knew I read it here before but couldn’t find it.