the rudder on my daysailer 3 has a line attached to the rudder that runs from the tiller to the rudder that allows the rudder to swing up and down..it has a set cleat that you can engage the line in to prevent the rudder from swinging up..on the mercury i learned on the rudder stays down by itself..what's thepurpose of this line..if i disengage it the wooden rudder swings up and floats in a horizontal position..i'm new to sailing so please excuse the stupid question..can i sail the boat with the rudder in the up position or does the rudder have to be submerged..when i switch sides when tacking or jibing i sometimes feel the need to raise the tiller to give me room to make the switch but if i lift the tiller with the line tightened it's near impossible to do that since the line is cleated tight to keep the rudder down..
Question Regarding Rudder Position
- Thread starter BOB SPICER
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although you might be able to sail with the rudder up, the rudder would loose effectiveness. you would have less controll, especially in heavier winds/seas, due to less surface area in the water and the rudder not being in the less turbulent water under the boat.
ok..thanks for the info..i sail in quincy bay which is south of boston harbor..i'm a real neophyte..just learned to sail last year at a community boating club on the charles river in boston..so im a little intimidated about sailing in the ocean, but been 3 times this week, so getting better..thanks again for the response
Bob,
You probably noticed that when the rudder blade was in the up position while you were sailing, you felt a lot of resistance in the tiller or what is known as weather helm. This is very bad for the rudder blade because it can flex and break on you. Not only that, but if you are motoring with the blade up, the blade will get damaged as it swings into the outboard propeller. So it would behoove you to always keep the blade completely down when you are sailing or motoring. I moor my O'Day 222 in a shallow mooring field, so I always keep my blade in the up position and the tiller tied off in the center. I made up a rudder blade hold-up pendant line for my rudder, years ago. In launching my boat at the ramp, I found that it was easier to mount my rudder with the pendant line holding the blade up and the tiller tied off in the center, than to mount my rudder after the boat was launched.
Joe
You probably noticed that when the rudder blade was in the up position while you were sailing, you felt a lot of resistance in the tiller or what is known as weather helm. This is very bad for the rudder blade because it can flex and break on you. Not only that, but if you are motoring with the blade up, the blade will get damaged as it swings into the outboard propeller. So it would behoove you to always keep the blade completely down when you are sailing or motoring. I moor my O'Day 222 in a shallow mooring field, so I always keep my blade in the up position and the tiller tied off in the center. I made up a rudder blade hold-up pendant line for my rudder, years ago. In launching my boat at the ramp, I found that it was easier to mount my rudder with the pendant line holding the blade up and the tiller tied off in the center, than to mount my rudder after the boat was launched.
Joe
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