steering

[Mark Guthaus]

I have A 1981 Hunter 30 and it will not point and hold a line she wants to round up with 12 knot of wind so and i am always steering a zig zag almost.
When I am heeled at 15 the steering pulls to hard toward windward is this normal the rudder feels like it is going to tear off.

Thanks

 

[Bill Roosa]

Your sail plan is not balanced. Your main tries to turn the boat to windward and the jib tries to turn it to leeward. Either the jib needs to get powered up (causing more heeling) or the main needs to be de-powered (probably by letting the boom out to leeward)
The latter will stand the boat back up, put the rudder back down in the water where it can work and probably result in more boat speed.

 

[Alan]

Bill is right but there are many possible reasons for your weather helm. My first question is 'how old are your sails?' Old baggy sails cannot be flattened enough to reduce power as the wind speed increases. Lowering the traveler will reduce the power in the main but a poorly shaped sail will quickly stall and flutter further reducing the shape and fabric quality. In the mean time reefing early is probably your first best choice.

 

[soling42]

Sails being old/baggy is a good first guess at that age. Indiscernible in lighter air, you might find that the mast may be raked too far aft also. Unless you've owned it for it's entire life you never know what might have transpired in the column/rake of rig. If someone has backed down on the rudder, tweaking it slightly fwd it may also be adding to your issue.

All that said I think Bill and Alan hit it right.