[quote=philzy]I had this problem too. I can also verify that what's said above is correct, make sure the springs are loose enough to actually move up and down (loosening the tension on the lock-bolt) Basically if the rake is adjusted so that the rudder bottom is pointed back/aft then pulling it up using the lines will be easier, because it is already at an angle towards swinging up. If the rudder bottom(end) is raked so far foward (The bolt is very tight/short/screwed in) then the rudder is on the other side of a straight up & down axis, so when its lines are pulled, it probably has to be pursuaded to swing back/aft and up (meaning it's very hard to unlock, and you'll probably have to lean over the rudder, reach into the water and knock it up to get started).
I ordered a new lock-bolt ($35) and springs but they shipped too slow before a sailing trip. Nothing showed by the time I had to leave, so I ended up using "Water Weld" from Home Depot ($8..amazing stuff), basically gobbed some on the worn out end/hook of the bolt (Because it was worn out, the rudder would gradually unlock and move itself up while sailing in chop or through seaweed) So I used a toothpick and flat head screw driver to shape the water weld material at the end of the bolt, 30 minutes later it was rock hard and has worked ever since. Of course when I got home a week later the new bolt arrived and now it's just an expensive extra piece in my parts box. The springs were "on back order" so I cancelled the order, I think no matter how old they are, the stiffer the better, as long as the nuts/screws through the casting still allow the springs to move up and down.
For me, unlocking the rudders takes pulling both of the lines really hard at the same time for a few repititions. I probably look like I'm trying to start a lawnmower. But this will shake the springs and bolt enough to get it unlocked, then usually I need to reach down and lift the rudder up while pulling the up-line. Luckily (only for this scenario) I usually sail into docks, not beaches, so speed isn't required to get this done right, as the P16 is tied to the dock with the sail dropped by the time I swing the rudders out of the water. For beaching, I usually would pull the lines a few times and try to unlock them, but otherwise wait for them to kick-up on their own if I had to pay attention to where I was going and couldn't waste more time on the rudders.
If I can't get the unlock/locking perfect, and I had to choose between having them strongly locked down while sailing or having them loose enough to swing up easily, I would choose for them to be strongly locked down, really hard to swing up. It was really annoying when the lock-bolt was worn out so even though the rudder was easy to bring up whenever I wanted, I had to stop while sailing along every 5 - 10 minutes, turn downwind and push the rudder back down because friction would swing it up, you notice this immediately because it gets hard to steer.
I think the manual says to start by adjusting the helm so the rudders are parallel to the transom, using a yard-stick to get it right. I think the best thing would be to get the helm to that point of parallel, and then play with the tightness of the spring bolts and other internal pieces before drastically moving the lock-bolt in or out, and see if you can lock and unlock it comfortably with other adjustments.
If your bolt is worn out, I swear by that waterweld stuff as a cheap fix. It's a 5" tube that looks a little like sidewalk chalk, and you can cut a little piece, mold it and after a few minutes it's as hard as cement, and it can be filed to form if you added too much. I guess plumbers use it because it even hardens when the surface is wet. I filled some cracks near the gudgeons with it too, no more leaks, not even a drop.[/quote]
