Difficult helm

[Dan]

I have noticed increasing difficulty in handling the helm of my 2001 26X over the past two months. Can anyone describe in detail the linkage and possible problems I may face when trying to decipher my problem. I spent Father's Day fighting the helm in 10-15mph winds and at one time was almost completely unable to correct the steerage at all! Thanks for any ideas you might have.

 

[robert]

Balance under sail?

Dan, I also have experienced this problem, it really takes the enjoyment out of a a good sail while fighting the helm. My best guess( I am new to sailing)is that the vessel is not balanced (center of effort ...center of lateral resistance) and as a result there are lateral forces working against your rudders that transfer through to your helm. I have the same problem when the winds pick up.On my next sail I will experiment with the center board position to see if this this reduces the rigid feel in the helm. Maybe someone else has experienced this ...good luck Robert

 

[Timm Miller]

Helm

Weather Helm or Lee Helm.....does it wan't to head up or head off the wind? One day when the wind is blowing about 5-10.....you can play with the sheet leads on the genoa and main and you can steer the boat that way...no kidding. You're playing with the balance of the sail power as mentioned. Weather Helm is the main overpowering the sail plan. Move the outhaul farther out to take some draft out of the lower 1/3 of the main....this take a lot of power out of the sail.....power and speed are not the same thing. Power allows you to punch through waves and chop...also adding to healing. A flatter sail is faster but doesn't have much power. Too much draft can contribute to weather helm. Too much mast rake can also add to weather helm.

 

[Scott]

Fighting the helm

In 10 to 15 knot winds you would prob have better luck reefing to depower the main. First check to make sure your rudders are fully down and tight. If you dont reef, depower the main by tensioning the backstay and tightening the outhaul then ease the sheet off a little. Usually weather helm is experienced going hard to weather, the best way to envision the cause is to imagine your main produceing more leeward lift than the jib, the result being that the stern pushes leeward alternately forcing the bow windward, hence coming to weather. depowering main and powering up the jib will correct this. For smaller results, bringing in the centerboard will help. If you bring it in halfway it will move the center of effort back allowing the bow to come off the weather easier. A good practice of this theory is to sail in heavy weather with the jib only. The results may suprise you, and a 26x in heavy wind under jib only is amazingly fast. Next put up a reefed and depowered main and fly progressively more jib until the boat will stear the desired course with no input to the helm. This will teach you to balance the helm and makes for a much more enjoyable sail.