Weather helm when solo sailing TI

My best position would be on the windward Haka, just over the rear Aka. Giddy-up!

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

I'll second that. I finally had the chance to hike out this weekend. The wife was steering and I was working the sheet. I was amazed at how I was able to balance the boat out and really get some speed up.

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

...and I'll third it!
Hiking out just aft of the rear aka, when solo, is the ideal position. The TI is balanced and handling is transformed!

And I'll fourth that! Oh, wait,...

Keeping the rudder centered increases its efficiency, helping to tame weather helm. Same goes for the dagger, which often pops completely out of the water on a starboard reach in big wind. Particularly when solo sailing from the rear seat. (Clearly seen in a lot of YouTube videos).

When you take crew weight out of the hull, the boat rides higher and collects MUCH less water, upwind and down. (Less weight & drag means more speed). And you won't have to sit in the puddle that does collect there. Unless you want to.

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

I'm also a 2015 TI owner who generally sails solo. I sail on Lake Huron and have found that in winds above 10 knots the rear seat is the place to be. It's drier, and balances the boat better. I also mate the furling line to the end of the main sheet so that I can shorten sail when the wind speed increases. So far this summer I've reached GPS recorded speeds of 13 knots in a squall that blew through the start of the Port Huron to Mackinac race, and many speeds in excess of 10 knots with the sail furled 1/3. In winds under 10 knots I love to lie on the tramps and steer with a tiller extension that I mounted to the forward steering handle. My next trip is to the Bruce penninsula and Georgian Bay. Enjoy this awesome craft!

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John Robb
2015 TI Azul
Sarnia ON. CAN.

I'm a rear-seat convert after today, though I only weigh 160lbs. Seemed nicely balanced and solved most of my steering issues. Great sail today- super fast and responsive from the rear. I can see how if you're a larger person it could over balance to the back of the boat. Kind of a pain to crawl up to furl the sail, but I might work on a solution for that. I always leave the centerboard lowered so that's not an issue for me.

Tried the rear seat solo today in 15 mph winds gusting to 20+. It did not go so well. The wind just blew my bow all over the place when I tried to go upwind. Got very frustrating. I eventually moved up to the front and problem solved. Hiking out on the tramps was by far the best position though.

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

How much do you weigh? I was in 20-30mph today on the wrong side of the lake sailing from the rear- didn't have that issue, but I think heavier individuals in the back end up with the bow more exposed... Just my thought. Tramp with hiking stick is probably best either way in heavy wind.

I have similar issues when sitting solo in the rear (the bow blows around too easily and it's difficult for me to steer).
I weigh 215
Bob

Forget hiking out like on a day like today when those big waves are rolling almost on top of me, blowing hard, out about 5 to 10 miles. I'm just hanging on to those handles while I steer from the back (I take back my view on not needing the handles). In fact I had one fishing line foul but I wasn't about to get up and fix it while being tossed around. Loved it, fun, but lousy for fishing.
Normally I like to maintain a certain speed while pulling lines which precludes me from needing to go faster by hiking out. Back seat is just fine. I weigh 170lbs plus the Honda motor 26lbs in the back with me (keep a big cooler plus wheels up in the front seat). I don't know what it is about the TI, but I rather be out solo in the TI any day over the AI 2014. It handles so much better in windy weather or calm. Much better ride.

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Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

I didn't think to mention it above when I was talking about how much my bow gets blown around when soloing from the rear seat.
My TI is pretty modified with twin outboards (about 54 lbs), which adds a lot of extra weight to the rear along with my 33sq ft wing jib that is heavily raked on my bowsprit which creates a lot of upward lift. All these mods have changed the characteristics of my TI so it's way more balanced now soloing only from the front only. Bottom line when solo in the back seat I get pretty severe weather helm (innefective rudder) in higher winds (over 12mph), but have no weather helm when solo in the front seat. Just the way it works out on my specific TI.
Not sure what all this means to anyone else (everyones situation is different).
I would expect based on my own knowledge in my TI that forward speed has a factor as well as how much sail is showing, and how tight the sail is pulled. In my case without my motors and wing jib engaged if I'm on a reach in higher winds I have to either release the sail a little so the inner tell starts dancing, or I need to furl the main a turn or two. If I don't do that I bury my AMA and also develop severe weather helm if my forward speed is not sufficient.
I suspect if someone is experiencing weather helm, the boat is unbalanced (too much sail, or trimmed too tight), or you don't have enough forward speed for the rudder to work (the rudder on the TI is smallish, and can only do so much at lower speeds IMO).
Keep in mind also that in almost every other sailboat out there, the occupents use their own weight to help balance everything out, if your locked in your seat in a TI you can only do so much (the whole key on any Tri is to keep those darn AMA's out of the water (watch some of Tom Kirkmans videos on his WETA, he knows how it's done), A modded out TI can do almost equal performance if you do it right.
Everything boils down to balance in my opinion.
Bob

I weigh about 235-240ish. The winds were blowing pretty hard and I didn't feel comfortable with the sail so I had furled it and was pedaling. Every time my bow moved off the wind I ended up doing a circle. I moved the seat and mirage drive up to the front and that seemed to make it behave. Then I got brave and unfurled the sail. I didn't like the feeling of the windward tramp catching the wind so I started hiking out. MUCH better! I got better rudder performance and overall just felt more comfortable on the boat in those conditions.

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

Being around 300# and with limited mobility due to back injury, I always sail from the front seat. The fastest my TI had ever gobe was with only about 1/3 of the sail unfurled. There is always a sweet spot where wind resistance and power generated by the sail are optimised. I have no doubt that the speed available with crew to windward would increase considerably.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

The great thing about the Islands is that they are very forgiving and can be successfully sailed in many ways.
You can just sit back, enjoy the ride and do very little, relying on the ama to keep the boat upright. Furling the sail when the wind picks up is key. I'll start to furl at around the 20knot windspeed mark. If the ama is getting buried then furl.

Or you can get active, hike out and increase the sailing performance. I much prefer hiking out. Even in strong winds the handling is improved. Comfortable and stable haka are the key to successful hiking out.
As FE Bob said it's all about balance.

Are there any commercially made Hakas or is it strictly build-you're-own?