Rudder – keeping it from dropping down

[Robert Holley]

David,

 

Many thanks for your response and solution. I have sourced a new Jib Halyard and will follow your recommendation.  I was out at weekend sailing in lovely Filey Bay and an area where some advice would be helpful (if you are able) relates to my Rudder!  It will not hold in position as I lift it coming into shallow water. There is a small wing nut which I tighten after the rudder has been physically lifted but it does not hold with the rudder dropping back down. This is also an issue at launch.  The Rudder is laminated timber based and in good condition.  Could you recommend a solution The wing-nut is  part of a bolt through the rudder and I assume should be secured easily (relatively)retained in a horizontal position. Is there a component to remedy this?

[Dave Barker]

I wonder whether you have an alloy rudder stock, given that there is a wing nut?

Either way, there are a couple of ways that you could deal with this issue. One is to fit an uphaul, which would physically raise the rudder as required, and hold it up. I’ll leave it to others to provide a detailed description, but basically it would be a 3-4mm line attached to the aft edge of the rudder blade and led forward via the stock to the tiller, where it would be cleated (Clamcleat?) when in the raised position.

The other way would be to adjust the fit of the blade within the stock so that the wing nut is able to provide sufficient grip when tightened to hold the blade up. This is the method that I use (with an RWO alloy stock). I have the wing nut on the right hand side (looking backwards) because I’m right-handed, and have had to adjust the thickness of the rudder blade with a ~2mm metal shim. Some 316 stainless steel would be good; I’ve gone with aluminium because I already had some, and previously I used a bit of plastic food mat. I have even fitted an old CD/DVD in a previous boat, which worked quite well.

On a related topic, the blade obviously also needs to be held down, and you perhaps already have a downhaul fitted, in which case a Clamcleat CL257 may help you avoid damaging your rudder, as it will release the downhaul if you run into shallow water or hit an obstruction.

[Robert Holley]

Thanks Dave for your feedback and much appreciated.  No there is no alloy rudder stock the rudder and stock are all wood and has metal bracket at the top and bottom which fit onto pintels at the transom. The rudder is secured by r-clips once placed on the the pintels.  Your recommendation looks like a sound solution and I thank you for the illustration of the cleats.  You have given me a neat solution which I am sure will do the job well.  Many thanks for your time on both queries and really helpful.

Bob

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