It sounds like one of my problems is I have too much weather helm. Maybe I will toe in my rudders a little so I don’t have to hang on to the tiller so hard when I need both hands. I was trying to load up my rudders to point my asymmetrical hulled Prindle 18 better.
Matt,
It's a common misperception that loading up your rudders (through rudder rake) will help your pointing. If you are adjusting your helm through rudder rake - that's all you are adjusting - the helm (the amount of pressure on the tiller). You are not changing the pressure the rudders need to keep the boat straight - although it does feel like it. When you change the rudder rake, you are only moving the center of effort (the centered location of the force generated by the rudders) closer or further away from the axis of rotation (the pintles). If you have this force centered exactly on a line extended from the pintles down, you will have neutral helm. If the rudder side force is in front of a line drawn down the axis of the pintles (i.e. rudders raked forward) you will have lee helm. If the rudder side force is behind the line drawn down the axis of the pintles, you will have weather helm. Regardless of the relationship between the rudders center of effort and the pintle axis, the rudders still have to handle the same load to keep the boat going straight...that is, unless you change the rake of the mast and sailplan....but that's another story!
So set your rudders to give you a slight weather helm for safety and for ease of driving.
