We had some damage on our rudder and want to know if we can cut a few inches off the bottom. Our rudder is below the keel now. I thought I read in the newer boats they did make the rudder shorter. Any issues let us know. THANKS!
Rudder on a 25 ft
- Thread starter golfersailor62
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golfersailor62
Several years ago, before I wound up buying an O'Day 26 and then after I was rebuilding the 26 I reasearch this issue to acctually look at the technical drawings on file at Mystic Seaport.
There are technical drawings of the rudder on file at the museum and copies can be purchased. There are also available technical drawing of a pop up rudder by Hunt Associates. The pop up was designed to solve the grounding of rudder issue and ... to improve the problem of weather helm.
That is later rudders are wider to have more surface area and are what are called balanced rudders to improve the weather helm of earlier boats. What they are telling us none naval architechs is that the total area is important to the weather helm issue.
So, I would conclude if you just make your rudder shorter, you would increase weather helm. This might be a sailing safety issue.
I would conclude that if you increase total surface area to balance the loss on the the bottom, you might be o.k.
So, you might begin with my comments to make additional study before you do what you are thinking. Yes, I recall someone in the past just hacking off the offending inches. But when done with adding increased area does this make the weather helm unsafe?
Also, I have seen rudders on early 25's and later 25's and I tell you that they are different. But until I saw those drawings at Mystic, I did not realize that O'Day was trying to solve the weather helm issues by balancing the rudder and increasing its area.
I would point out that on the 26 [whcih Rudy calls the same boat as the 25] they also increased the depth of the stubby keel and its length. Both hardly noticeable unless you are are aware of the rudder hitting bottom problem.
Best of results in solving your problem.
Ed K
O26
Are you sure you want to sail in Florida?
golfersailor62
Several years ago, before I wound up buying an O'Day 26 and then after I was rebuilding the 26 I reasearch this issue to acctually look at the technical drawings on file at Mystic Seaport.
There are technical drawings of the rudder on file at the museum and copies can be purchased. There are also available technical drawing of a pop up rudder by Hunt Associates. The pop up was designed to solve the grounding of rudder issue and ... to improve the problem of weather helm.
That is later rudders are wider to have more surface area and are what are called balanced rudders to improve the weather helm of earlier boats. What they are telling us none naval architechs is that the total area is important to the weather helm issue.
So, I would conclude if you just make your rudder shorter, you would increase weather helm. This might be a sailing safety issue.
I would conclude that if you increase total surface area to balance the loss on the the bottom, you might be o.k.
So, you might begin with my comments to make additional study before you do what you are thinking. Yes, I recall someone in the past just hacking off the offending inches. But when done with adding increased area does this make the weather helm unsafe?
Also, I have seen rudders on early 25's and later 25's and I tell you that they are different. But until I saw those drawings at Mystic, I did not realize that O'Day was trying to solve the weather helm issues by balancing the rudder and increasing its area.
I would point out that on the 26 [whcih Rudy calls the same boat as the 25] they also increased the depth of the stubby keel and its length. Both hardly noticeable unless you are are aware of the rudder hitting bottom problem.
Best of results in solving your problem.
Ed K
O26
Are you sure you want to sail in Florida?
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A friend of mine had a 25 and experienced the same problem. I built him a wing rudder. We increased the chord (front to back length) and reduced the length (just above the keel) and... added a wing at the bottom to make up for the surface space. I recall we used a 0012 naca foil. He liked it and never went back to the old rudder.
John
John
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