rudder question

Okay... I can lift the tiller assembly right up off the rudders... is that normal? Should that little black rubber thing be lodged behind the pin in the tiller assembly? See pics:

The pin inside the tiller casting (early hobies have a pin, new ones have a plate) should hook up to the rudder cam (little black rubber thing) on the lower rudder casting. The tiller should lift but with some force to rotate the cam.
Check first for pin to cam engagement then check on the plunger spring screw assembly that applies the preasure to the cam from underneath. U may need to buy a plunger kit and replace the screw/spring/plunger to restore the cam adjustability.

Okay, I took the bolt out of the top of the rudder, that free'd up some movement on the tiller assembly... I put the pin underneath that black rubber lip and then re-installed the bolt on the top of the rudders.

This worked for both sides and everything seemed great, until I tried to life the rudders, both sides simply "popped" out of the rubber thing and I'm back to where I started.

Is the tiller assembly just supposed to "pop" in and lock and then "pop out" when you want to raise the rudders? With that black rubber piece just moving down a little and then springing back up into place as you snap the rudders back down?

Thats how it works...it engages to the cam when u lower the rudder and push down on the handle to lock it. To raise while heading to shore raise the tiller (pop up) and pull on the handle forward to hinge the rudder up. Make sure the plunger and cam are well lubricated (lube all u want with any lubricant, it wont hurt it).
Tunning guide says the rudder should have 17-20 pounds (I think) release preasure just in case u hit a rock or the sand while beaching. That way the cam will release and the rudder will hinge up without breaking anything.

The rudder cam (the "little black rubber thing" - it's actually plastic) is in the locked down position.

You'll never get it to work right (and you'll be miserable sailing) until you get it moving again. It works like the cam in a car door latch. Shove a flat-bladed scewdriver in between it and the plunger at the bottom and lever it up.

Check the FAQ on rudder cams: http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=467

Also, here is a cross sectional view of the rudder lock down system that shows all the parts:


Note that you have the "old style" tiller arms that do not have the adjustable plate - just a pin.

Thanks a bunch! I'll see if I can get them greased and working again!

Wd-40 and prying with a flathead screwdriver did the trick.. they popped back up and the tiller assembly locked into place. I didn't mess with popping them forward just yet, I'll let the wd-40 work it's magic overnight and hopefully tomorrow it will work smoothly. I have to run to west marine for some silicone, I'll add marine grease to my shopping list.

Thanks a bunch, now I think I'm ready to put her in the water!!

Don't mess with the rudder cam except to lube it. As you found already, once it gets in the locked down position it's tough to get back out. If you don't have a screwdriver you can also use the main sheet, a trick I discovered on the water.

Today was the 2nd sail of my hobie and we had rudder issues... The winds were quite a bit better than the first time we were out..

It seems that the cams never rotated down when I put the rudders down and they kept popping up on us which cause a LOT of trouble as we tried to come about. We had an easier time jibing than we did tacking because of the rudders not staying down.

Was this due to them never really being snapped down with enough tension to get the latch to grab them? I suspect so because when we returned to the dock, both were still in the up position... I manually pushed one of them down and it clicked down, I had to pry it back up, but it did so with much less force than the first time.

suggestions?

First suggestion, play with this on the trailer until you can lock the rudder down and unlock it when not sailing. If you can not get it to work here, you won't get it to work on the water.

Try this, start on the starboard side near where the tiller cross bar connects to the tiller. You will be sitting on the tramp near the right rear corner. With the rudder up and the cam in the unlocked possition, lift the cross bar just a few inches. Push the rudder down and back. When the rudder is in the down position, you should be able to push down on the crossbar and hear the cam click to lock down. To unlock, pull the tiller crossbar up and forward. If the cam stays locked down, you need to replace it because it is too rubbery. New cams are stiff. If you can lock it down, try getting off the boat to pull the rudder up by pulling on the rudder tip. This will simulate hitting the beach with the rudder down. As long as you have a sand beach, this may be your short term solution until you can replace the old rubbery cam.

Once you figure out locking the rudder down on land, the motion on the water is the same, just keep the sails loose and the boat moving slow if at all until both rudders are in the locked down position.

I don't keep it on the trailer... it's at the cat dock in the harbor. It's out of the water but sitting on a slanted dock so I can just push it in the water.

If I have time tonight, I'll go down there, push it to the edge so I can play with the rudders. The cams seem pretty stiff to me, so I don't know if they are too rubbery, but one of them seems like it's worn down a ways from sitting in the locked position with the tiller resting on top of it... remember this boat sat for 16 years.

Another issue is that the starboard tiller bar is bent a little bit and when the rudder is in the full up position, the bolt rests on the hull...which has caused some scratching over the years. I'm guessing that the tiller was not strapped down for all that time and it would sway back and forth in the wind. The hull is fine, just a little bit of scratching, but I think the bent pole is causing some of the issues I'm having. It's just a slight bend, but it's visibly noticable.

Also, where I dock it... it's pretty shallow with a rocky bottom... so I hope that the cams work properly once they get locked initially. They should... it just seems that I wasn't applying enough force to get them to lock down... once we were moving, it was pretty much an impossible task.

The tiller arm hitting the deck is not going to work. Take the tiller arm off the boat, place the casting in a vice upside down and bend the arm just past the casting. You will not need to bend it much. If the other arm is off the deck when both up and down, us it as a reference as you want both arms to bend about the same. I would order a cam replacement kit from your dealer because the age of you current cams leads me to believe that they are no good/worn out. You will not need to move the spring or adjustment screw, just drill the pressed pin out, punch it through, and press the new can in place (compressing the spring and plunger) and screw in the new two sided "rivet" screws. Lube the new cam and you will be off and running. You should notice that the boat sails easier with less tiller load when the rudder work right.

I finally was able to drive down to the "local" hobie dealer... I picked up a rudder cam kit to replace my cams. I think the bent arm will work because it only hits the deck when it's pulled up in the fully UP position and then it might just be due to the poor cam setup that is currently on the boat.

I think I'm going out tonight, I'm not sure if I'll tackle the cam replacement prior to taking it out tonight. Not enough daylight to work with. I'll take the parts and drill with me, just in case I feel up to it.