New boat for me.....Raising and lowering rudder is a bear, so I bottom-painted the rudder and now leave it down all the time...good idea or bad? Also, would leaving the centerboard down when docking help to control movement into the slip?
rudder problem
- Thread starter Herb Jones
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I don't know that centerboard up or down would make much difference. Seems to me that if there's a current, CB down there's more surface area to be pushed. additionally, I don't think it does you much good because you're not making enough forward speed for it to help you track. my EZ Steer linkage does more to help me dock than the CB ever could. I also learned the first time I docked at my marina that there is framing below the transient slips and that my CB will ride up over it, then drop, making it impossible to back out without raising the CB.
As long as you have a deep enough slip that there is no risk of the rudder hitting the bottom at low tide, you should be ok. Be sure about this though, you do not want the boat coming down on the rudder. If it does your next project will be to replace the rudder after it snaps in to two pieces. 
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