B
Brigg
I think there must be a cap on the number of responses and the time on active status for any one topic in this forum, as my last post on this subject did not show up and the topic is sinking fast. Here is what I heard from Hunter Marine on the 260 rudder.I received the following E-mail yesterday from Greg Emerson at Hunter Marine:-------------------------------------------Mr. Franklin,Adding a metal strip to the bottom of the rudder would not create a dangerous situation but I would be concerned that the modification, when complete, would seal the rudder. Otherwise you would take a chance of water intrusion into the foam core. The reason that the rudder is buoyant is to make up-haul of the rudder easier. In previous years the rudder was cored with a structural polyester adhesive and the rudder was much heavier than the current foam cored rudder. During that time we received complaints that the weight contributed to the difficulty in raising the rudder. New Hunter 260's in current production are designed with a plastic pin that is put inplace to hold the rudder in the down position while under way but can easily be sheared off if the rudder were to hit something. Therefore the chance of rudder damage is minimized.I hope that this information is helpful. ThanksGreg Emerson-----------------------------------I think I'll see how much weight it takes to make the rudder neutrally buoyant, and then how hard it is to haul it back up. Then decide if I want to permanently attach some weight and seal the rudder.Brigg