Rudder Downhaul, Group Project

[Steve Kamp]

Metal epoxied to rudder

Brigg, as a new 260 owner I have followed this thread with interest. My prior boating experience has been with canoes, I can relate to the metal bonded to the rudder as many canoe paddles have a strip of steel or other durable material, such as kevlar, bonded to the bottom edge to protect the end of the paddle when it is used to shove off from a shoreline or fend off from rocks. I believe it would be possible to bond a similar strip to the lower leading edge of the rudder.Steve Kamp

 

[George Benson]

Auto Release Cleat

West Marine shows the Auto Release Cleat for $20.95 and it's in stock. Here's the link:http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=51281This looks like a good fix for the rudder issue and will not clutter up the stern.

 

[Brigg]

WM P/N 1158443

Thanks George for the WM information. When I put that URL in WM said the page was not available, so I used the WM part # 1158443 in the search box and it came right up. However, it said they had one in stock, AND I ORDERED IT!! Actually, I got my local WM store to order it and they said the East coast warehouse has 15 in stock. The price was only $20.99 with no shipping or special handling, so George just save me about $15. Thanks..On the issue of adding a metal strip to the bottom of the rudder, I have sent an E-mail to Hunter Marine asking why the rudder is buoyant and if I add enough weight to just make it sink will I be doing any dammage to a design parameter. (I'm sure I'll void my warranty.)When we get done with this I'll post a photo/project on this site. Here is a picture of the cleat and the manufacturer's web page:http://www.clamcleat.com/speciali.htmBrigg

 

[Brigg]

Final word from Hunter Marine

I received the following E-mail today from Greg Emerson at Hunter Marine:Mr. Franklin,Adding a metal strip to the bottom of the rudder would not create a dangerous situation but I would be concerned that the modification, when complete, would seal the rudder. Otherwise you would take a chance of water intrusion into the foam core. The reason that the rudder is buoyant is to make up-haul of the rudder easier. In previous years the rudder was cored with a structural polyester adhesive and the rudder was much heavier than the current foam cored rudder. During that time we received complaints that the weight contributed to the difficulty in raising the rudder. New Hunter 260's in current production are designed with a plastic pin that is put inplace to hold the rudder in the down position while under way but can easily be sheared off if the rudder were to hit something. Therefore the chance of rudder damage is minimized.I hope that this information is helpful. ThanksGreg Emerson-----------------------------------I think I'll see how much weight it takes to just sink the rudder, and then how hard it is to haul it back up. Then decide if I want to permanently attach some weight and seal the rudder.We may have to follow up on this thread with a later message as it seems to be sinking to the bottom very quickly now.Brigg