'84 model in good shape, including the friggin notorious Catalina kickup rudder, 3/8 pintles & gudgeons, spring steel "keeper".
Hadn't been to the boat in a week or so, slipped at a local sailing club here. Stopped by this week to check lines and WHOA! no rudder! (Now that is problematic, being pretty much an essential component on a sailboat, eh?)
Considered two options, either someone needed it more than me, OR it popped off in a recent blow. Slip is in 5' of water, mud bottom, poked the bottom below the transom with boat hook, sure enough something hard down there....masked up, found it, managed to get it on the dock, cleaned up and put it back on.
So.....absent buying a new Ruddercraft rudder (for now), anyone drilled thru the pintles for ringdings or other stopper/keeper method?
Fortunately this didn't occur whilst sailing, and the spring steel keeper is intact, but don't trust it!!!
Hadn't been to the boat in a week or so, slipped at a local sailing club here. Stopped by this week to check lines and WHOA! no rudder! (Now that is problematic, being pretty much an essential component on a sailboat, eh?)
Considered two options, either someone needed it more than me, OR it popped off in a recent blow. Slip is in 5' of water, mud bottom, poked the bottom below the transom with boat hook, sure enough something hard down there....masked up, found it, managed to get it on the dock, cleaned up and put it back on.
So.....absent buying a new Ruddercraft rudder (for now), anyone drilled thru the pintles for ringdings or other stopper/keeper method?
Fortunately this didn't occur whilst sailing, and the spring steel keeper is intact, but don't trust it!!!
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