Putting the rudder down all the way is a two hand operation. I to push the rudder down and 1 to tighten the wing nut. Has anyone done a mod to install a couple of line to lift and deploy this rudder on a Catalina 16.5. The hand drawing I got off the site and picture of the rudder attached. Thanks.
Halyard lines for a rudder capri 16.5
- Thread starter Oldskoolguy
- Start date
Honestly, unless you're beaching it, etc. I'd just lock it down and be done with it. I have a '72 Catalina 22 that has a kick-up rudder and no matter how tight I got the hold-down, it still wanted to rise a little.
Catalina Direct sells a nylon pin / bolt that goes through the rudder and the casing. It's supposed to keep it locked down unless you hit something, then the pin is supposed to break. I didn't have the corresponding holes in my rudder, so I just drilled it. Added some epoxy to the hole, let it cure and then re-drilled to make sure I wasn't going to be letting water get in. It's been that way for 3 or 4 seasons now and we haven't missed the kick-up feature. When we launch, the stern is usually deep enough that the rudder's not going to hit anything. Same when we put it back on the trailer.
Catalina Direct sells a nylon pin / bolt that goes through the rudder and the casing. It's supposed to keep it locked down unless you hit something, then the pin is supposed to break. I didn't have the corresponding holes in my rudder, so I just drilled it. Added some epoxy to the hole, let it cure and then re-drilled to make sure I wasn't going to be letting water get in. It's been that way for 3 or 4 seasons now and we haven't missed the kick-up feature. When we launch, the stern is usually deep enough that the rudder's not going to hit anything. Same when we put it back on the trailer.
You may not need 2 lines. The rudder blade will likely want to pop up on its own, even when stationary, if the blade is buoyant.
Easy enough to do the same as the drawing. Clam cleat, small block and rope. I had a 16ft dinghy that had that setup from factory, ages ago. Worked well enough.
As @ShawnL mentions...just make sure you seal any added holes in the rudder blade so it doesn't rot internally. (Assuming it has a wood core)
Search for "potting holes in fiberglass" for an explanation on how to do that.
Easy enough to do the same as the drawing. Clam cleat, small block and rope. I had a 16ft dinghy that had that setup from factory, ages ago. Worked well enough.
As @ShawnL mentions...just make sure you seal any added holes in the rudder blade so it doesn't rot internally. (Assuming it has a wood core)
Search for "potting holes in fiberglass" for an explanation on how to do that.