In search of a rudder transom mount for a Point Jude 16

[dLj]

Here are the holes - a larger horizontal one and a small vertical one leading to bigger hole.

Right - the smaller hole is where you feed the line down into that larger hole. You then pull enough line out of the larger hole, make a figure 8 knot then pull it back into that larger hole but the knot keeps the line from pulling out. I'll have to scrutinize your various images to see where that line may go up through the rudder head. Where is the clear talked about in the directions to clear that line off?

dj

 

[Foswick]

I think you're already getting good advice. I just want to say not to overthink this part. It is pretty hard to get this wrong. Just choose an appropriate wood and thickness and make your best effort to approximate the original. This is one of those cases where you don't even need to be very close. The only critical points are that:

• You can securely mount your tiller to it and it stick up above the transom high enough for the tiller to clear the transom.
• The pivot is about 18 inches below the lip on your transom (just estimating from the photo). If you're within a few inches, you're OK. Critically, the pivot needs to be below the lower pintle and a fair bit above the lowest point on the hull (so that when the rudder is kicked up, there is nothing to drag on a sandy beach, for example).

I kind of think that's it. It will perform just fine if you get it within those constraints.

Best thing to do is cut a template out of scrap wood to tweak the fit before cutting your for-real piece.

 

[rgranger]

What I am sharing I actually got from someone on this list. Serve about 15 years ago. Instead of a bungee or a line to tie the rudder down. Drill a hole through the rudder bracket and the rudder and stick a nylon bolt through it. you can get these nylon bolts in the plumbing section of Lowe’s. They are used to attach a toilet seat to the ceramic bowl of a toilet. They’re fragile and will break if they hit a hard rock so you can sail along without worry and then, if you strike something hard, your rudder won’t break …the bolt will give and then ….have a spare handy.

 

[cybrdweeb]

Thank you everyone for the help! This has become a 62 year old son and 90 year father project. I showed him the part and he said “I can make that”.

To be honest I found this forum by an internet search for someone needing the same part. I found this old post by Bruce Cresser from 2013 and hoped he would chime in. I sent an email but no reply.

“I have the patterns for the Point Jude rudders and have made many replacement rudders, contact BCBoats @ qu793@yahoo.com

 

[cybrdweeb]

I made a cardboard template of the head from pictures and measurements. It’s really a wooden sandwich that holds the rudder but I don’t know what is inside the sandwich. How does the “kick up “ line attach and I see a notch in the upper rudder I assume it keeps it from hitting the boat.

 

[shemandr]

It's not really that hard to make a rudder. I made a rudder for my 14' Marblehead Skiff. The original was a barn door rudder which I was unhappy with the performance with.
Instead I made a rudder of my own design. I used two plywood cheeks and a blade that fit in-between. The blade rotated down on a pin so the rudder could kick up and the blade extended much further down than the barn door and I went to the trouble of making the blade a hydrodynamic shape. I used blade up/down lines to control the blade. The performance was excellent and I could adjust to beach the boat without unshipping the rudder. A very satisfying project! I have only ordinary skills.