After reading Rodney's post on mast rake and looking at Mike Epp's photo of his H23 from above, I have a few thoughts on H23 trim and weather helm. Here goes... I suspect that a lot of the weather helm on this boat is due to the hull shape, which is very broad in the stern. After reducing the rake in my rig, I found I had LEE helm in light air. I solved this problem by sitting on the lee side of the cockpit when the wind got light and using my weight to heel the boat to leeward. This helps the sails keep their shape and also eliminates the lee helm. After looking at a lot of pictures of boats beating and reaching, I found that they all must have had fair amounts of weather helm, based on the angle of the tiller. Weather helm is not all bad. This is what gives a tiller its "feel", and can create lift in the water when working with the flow coming off the keel. The H23 is fairly light, so weight and where it is placed makes a difference. Mike B puts books under the cabin seats. I took stuff out of the cockpit locker and left it at the house. Both helped to raise the stern, reduce the wetted surface and improve the shape of the wetted surface that was left. The result is less drag and less weather helm. When the boat is floating level, the wings on the keel are angled slightly downward like the spoiler on a race car. Taking weight off the stern and/or moving weight forward pushes the bow down and increases the angle of attack of the wings. This produces more downforce and a stiffer ride. However, too much angle of attack can create drag. There is no single best setup for this boat. All you can do is try to get it to where it works best for your boat weight, your typical wind conditions and the way you sail. It's a challenge, but one that can be overcome. Luckily for us, the absolute best way to do this is to go sailing! Peter S/V Raven