1. Put the boat on stretchers

2. Loosen the screw circled by red

3. Make the rudder straight by hand, by lining it up with the fin. Eyeball it the best you can and have somebody keep it straight

4. Set the shoe straight - how you want it to be when the boat is going straight.

5. Take the two cables, circled by yellow and pull them as tight as possible.

6. During step 6, make sure neither the rudder nor the shoe moved. If they did, set them straight again while holding the cables tight.

7. Tighten the screw circled by red.

A single experienced person can eventually do this, sometimes on the water, but to start, having three people involved helps.

Troubleshooting

• The rudder is straight when the shoe is centered, but the boat still goes all over the place. Chances are, the rudder cables are loose. Repeat the procedure above, making sure that the cables are tight in step 5.

• The boat is going straight, the shoe is not centered, so there is less room to move in one direction than the other. Leave the foot in the position for which the boat is going straight. On land, repeat the process above, but make sure the rudder does not move during steps 1 and 2. The rudder is already “straight” (the boat is going straight, that’s what counts), so skip step 3, and finish the procedure as described.

• The shoe won’t move at all. The rudder ropes may be too tight, or the whole assembly may be installed incorrectly.