raising the rudder

[BJW]

Good morning everyone,

I have a '74 and I find that raising the kickup rudder by using the rope and small diameter block on the top of the rudder seems to require a lot of pull, more than I expected at least.

I have the disc tension loose, but it seems that the angle of the line attached to the rudder and then over the block forward does not give good mechanical advantage. The rudder goes up and down easy when you grab it standing next to it on the trailer but pulling on the line while in the cockpit is much more difficult.

Has anyone made any mods to make this easier?

Would drilling a new hole in the rudder for a lower point of attaching the line to the rudder offer any mechanical advantage benefit?

One other thought I hadd was to use the jib sheet winch to raise the rudder.

The original design works certainly but seems like an update of this is needed.

Thanks,

BJW

 

[jfrench]

I just went thru a similar discovery recently, and found that corrosion was the culprit. Even though the lock lever was turned to a "loosen" position, corrosion between the zinc anodes and the stainless through-bolt kept the system from releasing pressure. I tapped the bolt out carefully and cleaned it with a stainless steel wire brush, then reamed clean the holes in the anodes and the aluminum frame using a drill bit. Coating the bolt with anti-seize compound and then reassembly resulted in a rudder that actually loosened or tightened when the lever was turned.

I also made a handle by drilling a hole in a 4" long piece of 3/4" PVC pipe so that I had something substantial to pull with, and replaced the rope with a new length of 3/16" Sta-set.

After the above work, the rudder works easily and reliably. I will mention that there are two holes drilled at the back of my rudder: one about 23" down from the pulley, and another at 32". The rope is installed at the 32" position. That's the way it was when I bought the boat.

With the work outlined above, the rudder lifts easily with one hand and drops reliably when the rope is released.

Good luck!

 

[CaptDon01]

On our kick-up rudder once it was loosened, it floats up 90 degrees on it's own. No pulling required. I have to push it down and re-tighten the handle to lower it.

Don

 

[jfrench]

You probably have the newer all-plastic rudder. I am told they float. My '86 model is fiberglass over wood and sinks (even if I accidently drop it overboard!).

 

[CaptDon01]

It's a factory rudder, fiiberglass probably over a foam core.

Don

 

[BJW]

I pulled the blade off and did a light sanding on the blade in the area that pivots, cleaned up everything else and put a small amount of grease on the aluminum and now it works well.

Thanks

BJW

ps: I was a bit suprised to not see any posts on this issues so I thought there was somethng more involved than just a good cleaning and lube.

 

[Bilbo]

Just a note of comment, If you raise the rudder when moving, it becomes much harder to work the tiller and if you raise the rudder when the prop is spinning, it's rather easy to damage the rudder with the prop. Especially, if you are backing.

 

[jfrench]

Good points. I've been operating without tightening the rudder when the boat is sailing, only its weight keeps it down. Should I tighten it? My logic was that if it was a "kick-up" rudder, it should be able to kick up. However, I don't want it eaten by my prop and it probably does not sit fully 90 degrees down. What's the right thing to do?

 

[watercolors II]

Keep it tight

The rudder was designed to lift up for certain purposes, such as grounding or moving the boat around in the parking lot, but when the boat is close to launch make sure that rudder is down and locked tight. It was never designed to be in the up position in the water, moving or moored. In the up position in the water way too much pressure can be easily applied to break it in half, even when moored in a storm, always keep it down and in the tight position.

jfrench is correct the through bolt and clutch mechanism will corrode and make the unit inoperable so keeping it clean and waxed is a must.

In the 20 years I’ve owned my 22 I have raised the rudder maybe twice. I remove it for trailering and I’ve never had to raise it to clear anything in the water. Every couple years I dismantle everything clean and wax. A longer line for lifting easier is not needed and dragging the line in the water all the time is not needed also.

 

[Bilbo]

I agree with the others about keeping the rudder down but to say that I have had to raise mine in shallow water. I believe that the rudder is a tad lower than the keel in the up position.
There is a "detent" (ss ball in the hole) system that is designed to allow the rudder to raise in the event of grounding or hitting an obstacle but it also is a wear issue. The hole inside of the plate can get worn and then it's harder to keep the rudder down. So, moving it around a lot isn't a good idea. When this fails, some have used a sacrificial dowel stick instead.

When sailing, the rudder works best in full down position. This provides the easiest tiller action because the blade is closest to the pintle hinge and more importantly, the rudder is deepest in the water. This is important because in the event that the boat heels hard over, the point where it rounds up will be less predictable if the rudder isn't full down.

A company called Idasailor makes an improved rudder that is said to work like power steering because the blade of the rudder is even more forward that the stock blades. The kickup version costs some bucks.