Rope round rudder Ti

As suggested on here (and in the Ti manual) I tied the end of the main sail control rope to the end of ther sail furling rope so it is easier to locate. This means that sometimes I have a "loop" trailing in the water. Today it hooked around the rudder somehow and I ended up unable to steer and unable to furl or lose power in the sail. I tried lifting the rudder but no joy and sailing towards a pontoon quite swiftly I had to reach for my knife and slice the main sail rope (luckily by the knot joining the two ropes so no probs to get up and running again).

Just thought I'd relay the story.

Also shows that having an easily accessible knife is a good idea.

Great day on the water though!

You actually go faster when parts of your boat aren't dragging behind in the water...

Glad it all worked out, and you didn't hit anything, as there is already too much flotsam in the water from the tsunami!

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Whoa, I've had the loop catch in the drive fins of the AI once or twice, but it couldn't reach the rudder. That must have been a scary moment. Is the mainsheet or the furling line longer than it needs to be on the TI?

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It's easy to rectify - just adjust the main sail rope so more of it is in the front seat.

I don't think I will be looping it in future though - can also go around the drive if it drops in the water.

JP, you did the right thing with having the knife handy and using it.

Lotta folks put too much furling line on the drum and this just mucks things up. I just did this myself and did not like the results. It overloads the drum and gets in your way all the time. Not to mention the drag and stern tangles.

You only need a couple extra feet of line and this can be fixed with a tight knot to the mainsheet. Tie the free end loosely to the furling line after you rig.

The added line helps keep the furling line easy to reach when the sail is out full, or when you hike out on the tramps

Bob, I was hitting alot of debris this week, and had some limbs hang up on the rudder at one point.

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

I'm not a fan of tying the furling & mainsheet lines, although I did it for years before knowing any better. The new 2011 (with slightly repositioned furling line) taught me the error of my ways. I think making a big loop isn't a good idea is that the loop can and will hook up on stuff. Not good.

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Kayak Fishing Specialist: SLH
https://slhobie.com.au

Question for anyone with both boats -

Does the stock TI line extend further back to the stern compared with the AI?

Is it longer due to the larger sail and is it any more likely to hang up on the rudder when dragged in the water?

How do you guys tame the furling line on the new AI's/TI's now that it's sitting in front of the mirage drive? Seems like it would jam up the works there.

Nice having tramps for sure. You can toss the lines out there to keep things clean and within reach.

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

Wow,

Food for thought. I think I'll start carrying a very sharp knife with me.

I'm not sure if the loop would reach all the way back to the rudder on my TI when the main sheet is in the 2 to 1 configuration. If it is set up for 3 to 1 I imagine it would reach the rudder an AI following you. I used the 3 to 1 configuration for a whilw but went back to 2 to 1 because there was so much line in the cockpit.

Next time I take the TI out which hopefully will be soon now that it's getting warmer I'll check it out.

Thanks for the heads up Julian.

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

I always have on or in buoyancy aid:

Quick release diver's knife
VHF radio
mini flares
compass
mobile phone
Fastfinder emergency transponder
LED flashing light