I am getting my Hobie 17 ready for the racing season and have a couple of questions.

1. My rudders are raked differently - one is 0.5" forward of the other. When I tried to match them, the rudder was very loose and easily kicks up with just a little pressure on the leading edge.
Can someone direct me to how to properly adjust the rake and keep them down.

2. I purchased a Hobie three piece mesh trampoline but wonder how tight to lace it. This is the tramp with no stiching but rather welded seams. Last year I had non-legal mesh tramp and I pulled several grommets out - hence the new tramp. I like a tight tramp but using my legs as leverage on the aft crossbar was a bit too much.

My plan uses fids to hold the tension at the grommets and a screw driver to get leverage on the lacing line. Just didn't want to repeat the experience of last year.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

Don't know about your rudders....

But a Stiff tramp make's a fast boat

It's is not really impossible to have it too tight....but I settle for the car key test...If you drop your keys on the tramp and the bounce almost as high as the hight you dropped them from, it is almost tight enough !

Don't go totally mad.....I use the bar from my Socket set and a small bit of wood to lean against on my back beam - with the help of a fellow sailor to get the trap tight. 4 or 5 iterations of :

1, Tighten between each eye on the back beam using the bar as a lever. Tie off....

2, Walk around tramp to settle down

3, Return to 1 till oyu cannot get the bar between the tie rope and the back beam.....

Then tighten up any lacing at the side as tight as you can get it and then finally re-tighted by looping rope around this in a figure of 8 type action to make max tight.

Sorted !