Rudder is lower than my keel

[murrayabbott]

Hi. I have a 45DS and the rudder is lower that the keel. I was surprised to see this and am worried that in a grounding I could loose my rudder. Has anyone modified their rudder to make it a little shorter? If so did it have much of an affect on handling?

 

[Benny17441]

Allow me to suggest that if you are thinking of doing some modifications to the rudder to postpone the job until after you damage it and not before. We have a shallow draft, wing keel h320 and the rudder is longer than the keel. We sail mostly in Florida and needless to say we have had more than our share of groundings and pull outs with no ill effects to the rudder. We did break the steering chain once when the boat had to be pulled from the stern quarter but these rudders are pretty sturdy as the rudder did not suffer a bit. There is no substitute for keeping tabs on the depth meter when getting close to shallow waters. I believe we need every inch of rudder in the water especially when the boat heels.

 

[thinwater]

Until after you damage it? Having bent a rudder I can assure you that is more complicated than you think. It can also lead to things like abandoning the boat and sinking.

I would also explore adding to the bottom of the keel. Although it does have to bear weight on the hard, it is a simple compression load. Plus you will reduce leeway, though heeling may increase a tiny bit (more leverage).

 

[Rick486]

Interesting. I own a 44 DS which I thought was the same underbody as your boat. My rudder is definitely not so deep as the keel. Maybe 6 inches to a foot shorter.

 

[All U Get]

I would share your concern, the bottom is a lot harder in your area than the southeast US. Do Hunters have a longer rudder option for racing in particular? I met three people cruising that had bent rudder shafts, all were expensive repair jobs.

All U Get

 

[OffDuty]

My two cents or 1/2 cent Canadian...
I had the same concerns regarding groundings as my rudder is, or appears to be, the same depth as the keel. I contacted Foss Foam (www.newrudders.com) the manufacturer of the rudder and questioned whether the rudder could be shortened. They advised that removing approximately 4 inches (which is what I suggested) would have no ill effects on the handling of the rudder.
Depending on how much you think you need to remove you might want to contact them for advice.

 

[viper]

My Hunter 380's rudder is same depth as its wing keel.

Regards