My Mark II (1997) Catalina 22 needs a new rudder and tiller, and I'm considering buying the "C-22 Std Rudder w/ 1/2" Pintles Improved Fiberglass" from Catalina Direct. It's not cheap, but the salesman said it performs a lot better than the old kick-up rudder that I'd be replacing. I wonder if anyone here has any experience with these fiberglass rudders? I'd have to attach a new tiller myself, which I'm a little nervous about. It looks manageable, but I'm also wondering if anyone has any experience with that.
Fiberglass rudder from Catalina Direct
- Thread starter Matt Parfitt
- Start date
To my knowledge, they are the only aftermarket rudder available for the C22.
They are wonderful in every imaginable way, EXCEPT that they have a bad habit of the pintles breaking off without warning. @RudderCraft is aware of the weakness, and is not interested in remedying it. So, while I would buy one again in a heartbeat, I would also have very little choice NOT to. And I would absolutely retrofit the pintles as soon as possible, since Ruddercraft refuses to.
Here is the owner of Ruddercraft 's response to the complaint. It can be found in an earlier thread here in this forum.
They are wonderful in every imaginable way, EXCEPT that they have a bad habit of the pintles breaking off without warning. @RudderCraft is aware of the weakness, and is not interested in remedying it. So, while I would buy one again in a heartbeat, I would also have very little choice NOT to. And I would absolutely retrofit the pintles as soon as possible, since Ruddercraft refuses to.
Here is the owner of Ruddercraft 's response to the complaint. It can be found in an earlier thread here in this forum.
What many of us have is the "Catalina 22 High Performance Unifoil Kick Up Rudder Assembly" which is made by Rudder Craft. You can get it direct or from CD as well. Its performance sure beats sailing with a the original kick up rudder with the safety feature of the rudder kicking up automatically if it hits an obstruction.
CD:
www.catalinadirect.com
Rudder Craft:
I ordered mine with a Tiller, Tiller Clutch and Forespar extension and love it.
George
PS: Gene is absolutely right about his caution. I check my pintles before I lower the rudder into the water before each sail.
CD:
C-22 Sport Kick-Up Uni-Foil Rudder w/Pintles & Tiller
Catalina Direct, publishers of the Catalina 22 and Catalina 25 Owner's Handbooks and the largest supplier of parts and Lewmar winches for Catalina Yachts in the country
www.catalinadirect.com
Rudder Craft:
I ordered mine with a Tiller, Tiller Clutch and Forespar extension and love it.
George
PS: Gene is absolutely right about his caution. I check my pintles before I lower the rudder into the water before each sail.
Thanks, everyone. Yes, I did have the original kick-up rudder, but it wouldn't stay down, then the tiller broke, etc. I considered the Sport Kick-up Unifoil Rudder but I was told that, due to tariff uncertainty, it was unclear when these might be available again, but I haven't checked with Rudder Craft directly yet. As I sail in the ocean and my boat has a wing keel, and I moor in a harbor (near Buzzards Bay, Mass.), I don't really need the kick-up feature, though, and I figured that fewer moving parts might mean a more durable and reliable piece of equipment. But I'm not sure about this -- and any advice would be appreciated. In the meantime, I'll contact Rudder Craft.
Just talked to the sales guy at Rudder Craft and he said that tariffs aren't affecting delivery of the Sport Kickup Unifoil Rudder after all. So I guess it's an option.
I apologize, I was wrong about the rudder from CD not being fiberglass! Last time I looked, I only saw Ruddercraft products on CD. I need to get out more often. 