2015 AI RUDDER

Hopefully this info will help someone with an 2015AI. Recently the bungy section of the rudder line broke off on my AI .It is held on to the rudder line with a small crimp. ( this crimp broke) this wasn't a big deal but it showed there was too much tension on this bungy. The rudder line was damaged from where the crimp held the bungy on and the line probably would have broken on my next trip. The damaged section was at the rear connection of the bungy. There was just enough slack in the system that the line (the black nylon part)didn't need replacement and I just repositioned the bungy and reattached the line conning from the rudder.. . Several people have complained about the AI turning into the wind in stronger wind and this is the reason why . The bungy was positioned wrongly and taking most of the load allowing the rudder to not stay seated properly. Today I had a sail in fairly strong winds and instead of having to put a fair bit of pressure on the downhaul rudder line to stop it turning into the wind almost hardly any pressure was needed. With absolutely no tendency to turn into the wind. This is definitely why some people are having problems with this rudder. The AI was great before but now with this fixed its even better.

Wow..

When you say Rudder line you mean one of the steering lines?

Is this an internal fix and which hatch do I inspect it from?

I'm not familiar with my new AI2 yet.

Thanks.

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Fair Skies, Max.

The line that holds the rudder down. It can be checked from the rear hatch but is a bit awkward. Maybe they all are not installed the same I don't know but either the Bungy needed to be longer or positioned differently.

You discovered this by looking through the rear hatch but that is awkward to do.

I'm not sure what I can do about it if its really difficult to see it must be really difficult to get your hands on it.

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Fair Skies, Max.

Maybe I was not clear before sorry. What happened was while sailing I heard something break inside. Then I realized the down line didn't retract .So when back on land looking through the rear hatch I could see the down line was damaged and the bungy section not attached. You could probably check your line by feeling through the rear hatch the amount of tension on the bungy and the down line. After fixing this it was very noticeable the better performance of the rudder. Even in overpowering conditions the ai wasn't showing any tendency to turn upwind anymore. Previously a lot of tension was needed on this line and now it only needs minimal amounts. The bungy was allowing the rudder to move up slightly and therefore the ai would turn upwind in if not pulled down hard enough.
Hope this is a bit clearer.

Maybe someone else can advise you more about this than I can but in my opinion the Bungy just needs to be checked that it isn't taking the strain instead of the down line. You could check this by putting the rudder down and then feeling the tension on both the bungy and the down line. (Putting you hand through the rear hatch . )

The bungee / shock cord sounds like it was way to short or caught on something. It is only designed to retract the T handle into the hull. The T handle line tension holds the rudder down, but I can see if the shock cord was prohibiting full down line tension to the rudder... a problem for sure!

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt I am sure that the bungy wasn't caught up on anything.
When fixing it I kept the bungy at its original length but repositioned it further up the line.
Today I had a look at the rudder up line and it has its bungy set up similar to how the down line was.
(there is no stretch left at all when the rudder is up)This line doesn't have the tension on it like the down line but maybe over time the clip could wear into the black nylon section and break the line or break the clip.
Not such a problem as the down line breaking but still a potential problem.



Stephen

I am going to try to check this out this weekend. This sounds like there is a chance that this could be my issue. I have been getting by with the down rudder line insanely tight on the AI2, but I never had to give it a thought on my 2012 boat.

You may want to move this to the main forum or repair forum if this turns out to be a common issue so it will get more visibility.

thanks!

We have a 2012 ti which is a slightly different setup because it has two rudder up/down positions so the front connection is likely different. Our chief problem is there is a turn buckle in the front that keeps spinning and winding up the lines, making the up/down lines very difficult to operate. The only solution I have found is to manually un wind the turn buckle once in a while. The only reason I'm mentioning this is once the turnbuckle winds up, the bungy becomes too short, and I can't lock the rudder down.
Hopefully this makes some sense to someone, and they came up with a remedy.
Bob
Ps one indicator of this twisted condition is one pulldown rope works but the other one doesn't, and neither pullup cleat works.

OK I get it now, thanks for clarification.

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Fair Skies, Max.

I love this forum!!

On my first outing this summer, my 2012 had a problem with not holding the rudder down well. It also turned hard into the wind and required very strong force on the rudder control to hold a steady course. I'll be craning my neck and using my mirror to check out each of these lines.

I'm also having problems with the rudder line connection slipping loose. Usually, I just need to pull it tight and re-tighten the Phillips screw on the rudder. Last weekend, I was 1 mile off the shore of Lake Huron in Michigan and the line slipped - leaving me with no rudder. I unzipped my Hobie tool-kit only to find that I'd left my Phillips screwdriver back on land. It was a harrowing trip back with me manually steering through the rear hatch while my nephew pedaled.

I suspect that fixing the line problem from this thread will eliminate the need for the crazy high rudder control force.

Hopefully you gathered that adding several half hitch knots is what is needed? After tightening the screw. Add several half hitch knots using the tail end of the line... around the tensioned line coming from the boat.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

OK - I checked the lines from the rear hatch - very hard to see/feel what is going on, but I found one line fouled between the port rodholder and the foam on the hull. I released that and it MAY have improved the situation. I haven't been able to see/feel the bungie tension, but it does feel and sound like I am fighting something to get the downline fully seated.

How would you ever be able to repair or replace these lines? I think the hulls were molded with these in place. I sure would like to be able to make a repair in the field so to speak.

Thank you

You can remove the bungy altogether or just reposition it on the rudder line.
To reposition it remove the line from the hull.
I did this by undoing it at the T Handle but there is probably an easier way as it is a bit awkward to replace it.
Remove the clip that's holding the bungy to the rudder line.
Then tie a knot in the black section further up the line.
Attach the bungy to this with the clip.
(I just used a cable tie)
Then reassemble and no longer will you need to pull
Hard on the rudder line anymore.