I have a '94 Hunter 26 and hope to sail it for the first time tomorrow. The rudder seems very hard to raise using the ropes attached to the rudder. It's not hard to lift, but the ropes don't seem to work well. What am I missing here? How should the ropes attached to the rudder (and cleated on the tiller) be routed to the cockpit? THanks for the help. I've learned a ton of good information from this site.
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William Jowell
Not hard. Impossible!
The engineer that designed that system, didn't. I stand on the first step of the ladder and with my right foot I push the board down and against the stop. To raise the board I stand in the same location and pull the lifting line. I'm as anxious as you to learn a solution to the problem.
The engineer that designed that system, didn't. I stand on the first step of the ladder and with my right foot I push the board down and against the stop. To raise the board I stand in the same location and pull the lifting line. I'm as anxious as you to learn a solution to the problem.
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Neil King
rudder lifting technique
Thanks, William. I'll try that technique to lift. On my boat, the raising and lowering line are one line looped in the rudder-holding bracket. I question the routing of both sections of line beneath the tiller, running through the hole in the middle of the cleat.
Thanks, William. I'll try that technique to lift. On my boat, the raising and lowering line are one line looped in the rudder-holding bracket. I question the routing of both sections of line beneath the tiller, running through the hole in the middle of the cleat.
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Alan
I used a boat hook, then it was stolen!
There is a mechanical disadvantage to use the up-haul. Always needed a boat hook to lift it or pushed it up when swimming. alan
There is a mechanical disadvantage to use the up-haul. Always needed a boat hook to lift it or pushed it up when swimming. alan
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Harvey Small
Loosen the wing nut!
Loosen the big wing nut on the rudder cheek. The rudder is now a lot looser and can be positioned relatively easily. Then tighten the wing nut so it stays. Don't worry, it will still function in it's depth sounding function and kick up in shallow water.
Loosen the big wing nut on the rudder cheek. The rudder is now a lot looser and can be positioned relatively easily. Then tighten the wing nut so it stays. Don't worry, it will still function in it's depth sounding function and kick up in shallow water.
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Ray Bowles
Raising the rudder is NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT
one hell of alot of work!! Lowering it is a crap shoot. We beach our 95 H26 4 to 5 times a week and have adopted a fire drill that works most of the time. To raise: 1. Untie the rudder rope and find out which side of the rope is the uphaul. I color coded my down haul rope with black line so as to know the up from down. (This rope is one continuious loop) Loosen the big wing nut on the side of the rudder plate and pull like hell on the line without the black marks. When the rudder rises to water level hook it with the boat hook and heave until your guts almost fall out and then quickly throw a line around the upraised rudder blade and secure it to the aft life rail. Don't forget to retighten the wingnut with it up. To lower: Make damn sure the rope on the lower most part of the raised rudder is centered in the middle of that 2" wide surface!! (We had an emergency sitution last month when the rudder jammed half way up in a horizontal plane to the boat and we lost steerage of the boat. The saving grace was to use the outboard motor itself to counteract the inabilities of the rudder.) The cause was the rope had slid off the the bottom side of the rudder and jammed between the rudder blade and rudder side plates. This required a quick dive into the river to clear and could have been much worse. A H26 is unsteerable with the rudder straight back. Now to continue to lower. Loosen the wingnut and maintain control of the rope and push like hell down while pulling on the (black marked) rope. Tie off the rope on that sorry little cleat on the tiller shaft. We use a bungee on the rope from the cleat rope end to the tiller extension to keep the rope from fouling and maintain control. Next winter I will post a total repair for this sorry sitution. Ray s/v Speedy
one hell of alot of work!! Lowering it is a crap shoot. We beach our 95 H26 4 to 5 times a week and have adopted a fire drill that works most of the time. To raise: 1. Untie the rudder rope and find out which side of the rope is the uphaul. I color coded my down haul rope with black line so as to know the up from down. (This rope is one continuious loop) Loosen the big wing nut on the side of the rudder plate and pull like hell on the line without the black marks. When the rudder rises to water level hook it with the boat hook and heave until your guts almost fall out and then quickly throw a line around the upraised rudder blade and secure it to the aft life rail. Don't forget to retighten the wingnut with it up. To lower: Make damn sure the rope on the lower most part of the raised rudder is centered in the middle of that 2" wide surface!! (We had an emergency sitution last month when the rudder jammed half way up in a horizontal plane to the boat and we lost steerage of the boat. The saving grace was to use the outboard motor itself to counteract the inabilities of the rudder.) The cause was the rope had slid off the the bottom side of the rudder and jammed between the rudder blade and rudder side plates. This required a quick dive into the river to clear and could have been much worse. A H26 is unsteerable with the rudder straight back. Now to continue to lower. Loosen the wingnut and maintain control of the rope and push like hell down while pulling on the (black marked) rope. Tie off the rope on that sorry little cleat on the tiller shaft. We use a bungee on the rope from the cleat rope end to the tiller extension to keep the rope from fouling and maintain control. Next winter I will post a total repair for this sorry sitution. Ray s/v Speedy
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Greg
Rudder Lifting Mod.....
The previous owner of my 94' 23.5 drilled a hole on the back side of the rudder towards the bottom and attached a rope. Once i pull the rudder up with the factory rig, i then can pull it out of the water the rest of the way using the rope mod... makes it quick and easy and also reduces the stress on the factor rigging.... Good luck... Greg s/v Passin Wind
The previous owner of my 94' 23.5 drilled a hole on the back side of the rudder towards the bottom and attached a rope. Once i pull the rudder up with the factory rig, i then can pull it out of the water the rest of the way using the rope mod... makes it quick and easy and also reduces the stress on the factor rigging.... Good luck... Greg s/v Passin Wind
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Alan
Oh yea, forgot the part of the line jamming it!
As Ray said very important. Do not let the rudder uphaul part of the loop jam. If this happens you must pull the rope downward at the head of the rudder. Real pain and embarassing to hang off the stern hopping up and down on the rudder (never do that as it only jams worse). While on the subject, someone in their h26 review mentioned a modification of the rudder plates to keep them stiff. I too have found that the sandwich of two aluminum plates and rudder has too much springiness. I was thinking of having stainless steel plates made, any comments? alan
As Ray said very important. Do not let the rudder uphaul part of the loop jam. If this happens you must pull the rope downward at the head of the rudder. Real pain and embarassing to hang off the stern hopping up and down on the rudder (never do that as it only jams worse). While on the subject, someone in their h26 review mentioned a modification of the rudder plates to keep them stiff. I too have found that the sandwich of two aluminum plates and rudder has too much springiness. I was thinking of having stainless steel plates made, any comments? alan
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David R. King
Rudder management
I just raise and lower it by hand on my 1997 h26. I stand on the lower rung of the boarding ladder, let the rudder down slowly, and haul it up at the end of the day's sail. Not a real problem. The rope is useless.
I just raise and lower it by hand on my 1997 h26. I stand on the lower rung of the boarding ladder, let the rudder down slowly, and haul it up at the end of the day's sail. Not a real problem. The rope is useless.
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Jim Covey
Beat choice is leaving boat in slip
If you can't leave the rudder down all the time (with antifouling paint on it), make sure the routing of the rope is correct. When it's right you can get the rudder to about horizontal, then raise it with a boat hook. The uphaul line needs to run under the bolt with the nylon sleeve on it just above the rudder, the downhaul line needs to run over this bolt. That at least gives you a pivot point to gain s miniscule amount of leverage. As to the line running through the middle of your cleat, that seems like a good idea to keep from losing the line into the rudder but I would think it would hamper your ability to get a good grip on the line. Good luck, Jim Covey
If you can't leave the rudder down all the time (with antifouling paint on it), make sure the routing of the rope is correct. When it's right you can get the rudder to about horizontal, then raise it with a boat hook. The uphaul line needs to run under the bolt with the nylon sleeve on it just above the rudder, the downhaul line needs to run over this bolt. That at least gives you a pivot point to gain s miniscule amount of leverage. As to the line running through the middle of your cleat, that seems like a good idea to keep from losing the line into the rudder but I would think it would hamper your ability to get a good grip on the line. Good luck, Jim Covey
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Jerry Edwards
Rudder Raising
I use a crab net it is a net on a 12" diameter wire loop, attached to a 6' long pole. Works great. Capt. Ed
I use a crab net it is a net on a 12" diameter wire loop, attached to a 6' long pole. Works great. Capt. Ed
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Bill
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Susan
There's another way
to do it. As previously noted, Hunter's "engineering" of the rudder raising/lowering system is absolutely rediculous. I use a boom vang. I attached a heavy stainless spring-loaded snap hook to the uphaul line, then attach the boom vang to that hook and to the mainsheet U bolt. Just give it a tug and it comes up like a charm. You'll still need to do the final lift with a boat hook. The boom vang doubles as our preventer. Also, as previously mentioned, make sure the downhaul is centered on the edge of the rudder as it is lowered. I would remove the downhaul altogether if it weren't for the fact that the rudder never goes down the last inch without it.
to do it. As previously noted, Hunter's "engineering" of the rudder raising/lowering system is absolutely rediculous. I use a boom vang. I attached a heavy stainless spring-loaded snap hook to the uphaul line, then attach the boom vang to that hook and to the mainsheet U bolt. Just give it a tug and it comes up like a charm. You'll still need to do the final lift with a boat hook. The boom vang doubles as our preventer. Also, as previously mentioned, make sure the downhaul is centered on the edge of the rudder as it is lowered. I would remove the downhaul altogether if it weren't for the fact that the rudder never goes down the last inch without it.
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