Proportion of TI owners with rudder problems?

Congrats on your new boat!

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My only advice to you is "Don't cancel your order"

Even though there may be issues, those issues are easily over come and Hobie is working on a fix.

I had the opportunity to get out for an hour or so on Sunday and the moments leading up to launch were worrisome and I was afraid that I would be frustrated once again, BUT, If you were at the landing when I returned you would have seen the HUGE perma-smile on my face and then you would understand why I make my recommendations to you...

Hell man, half the fun of boating in general is futzing with the hardware!

Wrangling with these issues is a pure joy to me and I hope that no one here has taken offense to my posts concerning the rudder issue. It just so happens that manufacturing is my expertise and I am very opinionated about the issue because I have an example in my hands and I have more than $5000 in the game! HAHA!

Look, don't miss out on the opportunity to have this craft, you will not regret buying it.....
But whatever you do, do not loose sight of the old adage about boats, money and holes in the water!

my rudder line broke,, someone else mentioned they saw my red TI at backyard boats of annapolis getting fixed, well its true. no earthly idea how it happened. i had it out about 12 times i figure and probably for about 30 hours of use thus far and after sailing it to an AI/TI meet at that location this past saturday just fine when pushing off from the dock an hour later the port side rudder line was broke and dangling in the water.

i think it is getting fixed as i type this (hopefully) so i trust that hobie and their reps will take care of early issues but i just hope i don't have any more issues cuz this is my second. i'm still waiting on that aka/ama fix.

i almost capsized when the port rear aka or ama whichever it is came out of the port rear crossbar for the third time but this time we were in some heavy winds with all our weight on that side and luckily my wife and i didn't go in the bay but i would have a hard time getting her to join me ever again if we had. i'm just glad my rudder broke at the dock of where i bought it at rather than out in the water somewhere,, that would have sucked a fatty for sure.

i love the TI so far but those issues are definitely on the front of my mind when using it and i now don't seem to be able to relax the same way like i did the first few times of use, now i feel like i have to constantly watch everything and make sure something is not out of place or malfunctioning after the aka/ama issue. now i know i'm going to be super paranoid about the rudder after i get my TI back (hopefully before this weekend), hopefully this is the last issue.

Hello Gary,

Thanks for the recommenation.

You made me consider purchasing a TI out of state -- sight unseen.

I placed my order today with Backyard Boats here on the east coast.

I would have went with Wolf Marine, but I was looking for a dealer closer to home.

They are shipping my papaya TI on Monday, UPS freight, with delivery later the same week.

If all goes well I'll be sailing Sandy Hook Bay on the Fourth of July weekend.

Thanks again, and thanks to all who contribute to this forum for your comments and informative feedback.

Ed

Congrat Ed, that is awesome!

I sailed my TI for the first time yesterday. I did not experience any issues so far.

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I'd rather be sailing,
Mark.

Thanks for your message.

It is good to receive comments – good or bad -- from fellow forum participants on their sailing experiences.

My experiences thus far have been with an 07 Adventure fish, and an 08 Adventure Island, and with routine maintenance and upkeep, they have been trouble free.

The start-up issues with the TI do not worry me; I am not a mechanic, but the mechanical simplicity of the AI, and for sure even the TI, are no more challenging than adjusting the derailleur or the hand brakes of a multi-speed bicycle. And I have a good local Hobie Rep, Marc Weiss, who always is ready to answer my questions, and to ensure that I have the latest upgrades.

I am fortunate to have a spot on the beach this year at a local Hobie Catamaran Club, so the size and weight in transporting and hauling the heavier TI is not an issue.

And seeing the work and setup before sailing a racing Catamaran underlines the elegant simplicity of the either the AI or TI. I find the multiple guy wires, turnbuckles, lines and blocks of a Cat to be somewhat intimidating; but with my AI all I have is what amounts to a couple of lines for a boomless sail, and high strength fishing line running through the hull, tied to a couple pull levers to a rudder. It is simple.

I’ll post my initial experiences with the TI after my first sail, and hope to post a picture or two of my TI parked next to the big brother Hobie Cats.

Thanks again, and great sailing to all.

I thought I had a problem with the boat but it turned out to be the skipper. Because of all the discussion regarding a rudder problem with the TI, I wanted to make sure my rudder was down and locked. Therefore, if a gentle tug on the rudder down line was good, a mighty pull must be better right? Also, even with the mighty pull I noticed some difficulty turning to starboard, I therefore surmised that the dang rudder must be moving out of its down and locked position and needed yet more encouragement to stay down. To that end, a determined high tension stretch was added to the mighty pull, but all was not well. The boat was becoming a pain to sail, the rudder control was stiff and a starboard turn was becoming an "adventure". I must say, I was impressed with the strength of the rudder down line but not with the results of all the pulling. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to review this forum and found reference to rudder tensioning and the fact that the rudder down line adds tension to port when tightened. I also found, with dry land testing, the rudder would consistently move into the down position and could be held there with only a gentle tug on the down line. Subsequently, we were out sailing yesterday in a steady 18mph wind + higher gusts, the sail needed to be partially reefed but we making turns in both directions with no issues, the rudder movement felt balanced and completely reliable. I did use the suggestion to loosen the rudder drum bolt slightly but, only on my 08 AI, not on the tandem. On the AI, the bolt had gradually tightened which made raising or lowering the rudder much more difficult. The problem immediately resolved after loosening the bolt approx 1/2 turn. We have been otherwise extremely happy with our decision to purchase the TI, I have added the new Aka connector mod. and chafe plate but have not experienced a Aka disconnect issue. I'm sure my experience with the rudder is different than what appears to be an equipment issue for others, but could also see my error being repeated by many if an element of rudder paranoia is present.

Picked up my TI last week and the 2nd time in the water (yesterday) the port rudder line sheared through at the base of the drum on the rudder. Dealer will have it fixed and back to me on Monday. Know what? Doesn't bother me in the least! I'm thrilled to have one of these puppies and getting one so early in the program I expect that there will be some kinks to work out.

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2010 Tandem Island!

Total sailing time: about four hours. No rudder issues so far, but sure helps to hear about the problems others have experienced!

The first time I had my TI out in 15-20K winds I experienced this problem. It was truly as you described a "big problem" when I lost steering in Elliott Bay right in front of the WA State Ferry shipping lanes. I was able to get out of the traffic by tacking to starboard then sailing downwind away from the "BIG BOATS". Before going out in big winds again I read some postings on this subject and was convinced I had the rudder fully in the down position because I was reefing on the toggle for all it could hold. The next time I went out in big winds I had the same thing happen and got too shallow water and bailed in to see what was going on back there. What I found was that even though the down toggle was fully deployed the rudder had not seated in the slot. I untentioned the down toggle and took 3 steps in tightening and re-positioning the rudder into the slot until it was fully seated and went sailing in gusts to 35 without a problem of losing steering or rudder cavitation. Now before going out in big winds I go through the same steps while standing in waist deep water to ensure the rudder is seated and haven't experienced the problem since. As a foot note; my sailing partner who also has a TI had the same problem and was convinced the rudder was cavitating because it wasn't long enough and hasn't had a problem since by going through the 3 step tightening procedure. Try this and let me know if it solves your problem also.

I initially posted that I didn't have any problems, but now I've had two separate issues come up in the past two weeks - the line jumping one of the internal pulleys and the steering line snapping. And in the process I've learned real quick to be able to steer with the paddle and not rely on the internal/external rudder rigging and controls.

I, too, must say that the reliability of the rudder control system has me concerned now, especially since my wife and I really push the limits of what is feasible with a sailboat of this size. Where previously I was all about having fun out in the wind and waves, now I'm planning for the eventuality of having no rudder at all and having to deal with shipping traffic, underwater obstacles, weather, currents and the like to safely navigate back to our put-in point just using a paddle for steering.

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Mitch

2010 Tandem Island
2010 Revolution
Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore

My sailing blog
Our sailing videos

What is the 3 step process you used to get your rudder to catch in the slot where it belongs?

Count me in on the TI owners with rudder problems.

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Jerry D.
St. Johns, Florida
2010 TI
2008 AI

Count me in as one having TI rudder problems.

I took a TI demo at the dealer and sailed it in light wind for about an hour. But I noticed it was quite difficult to turn right which I mentioned to the dealer who hadn't heard there was a problem. This was mid June and I knew nothing about this Hobie forum at that time. Two weeks later I bought a TI and had the same difficulty steering right. I googled to find out if any others had my problem and found this forum. I loosened the bolt 1/2 turn until and it sat deeper in the socket but still pulled out easily unless the 2:1 down line had good tension.

I'm watching all the solutions but haven't found one that seems to both preserve the T&S feature I like and secure the rudder in the down position without tight right steering. I'm expecting Hobie to come up with a solution. In the meantime, I keep the 2:1 line down tension at the minimum tension necessary, constantly adjusting it for wind strength so I won't have to struggle with the right turn.

I like the TI since I can sail more often than with the AI since it sails in lighter winds, and the inland lake in Virginia where I live has light summer winds e.g. 4 -8 mph. In the spring and fall it is windier but it is colder. Thus the TI is an excellent product for this lake.

Bob