My wife And I are considering using our Oday 30 as a live a board cruiser from the so. coast of Maine where we live , down the ICW and on to the Keys and possibly Bahamas. Our maine concern is the spade rudder having no protection should we ground her. We have a keel/Cb model.We rarely use the centerboard and find that she tracks fine with correct sail set and we do not race , so pointing a few degrees higher doesn't concern us. What I am considering doing for rudder protection is to bolt a piece of sts steel channel from the rear of the keel to just under the foward portion of the rudder. I am not sure if I will attach to the bottom of the rudder or not. Any comment or suggestion greatly appreciated. Thanks Mark
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Don Evans
Interesting Concept Mark
But not sure how well you could support this SS bar to serve as an impact barrier? My concern would be that you will save the rudder but transfer the energy of an impact to the hull and cause damage there. I understand your concern about your "vulnerable" rudder, minus a skeg to protect it, but are you talking about groundings in soft mud and sand? The stub keel would take the brunt of that grounding, and probably with only minor damage. If it was a partially submerged container or deadhead, and the rudder took a hit, you would likely lose it. Therefore I would concentrate on how I would reclaim steerage. Having an alternate rudder, or way of constructing one onboard and hanging it might be a better use of your energies. I know your cruising and speed is probably not an issue, but you would likely lose speed with this extra underwater appendage. One thought I have along these lines is how you would deal with snagging rope, line, lobster pots etc. and fouling your prop. Have you thought how you would handle that? Prop cutters perhaps? For me, this would be more of a concern than grounding the rudder. I like your thought lines, but wonder if you are openning another set of variables with this idea? Don
But not sure how well you could support this SS bar to serve as an impact barrier? My concern would be that you will save the rudder but transfer the energy of an impact to the hull and cause damage there. I understand your concern about your "vulnerable" rudder, minus a skeg to protect it, but are you talking about groundings in soft mud and sand? The stub keel would take the brunt of that grounding, and probably with only minor damage. If it was a partially submerged container or deadhead, and the rudder took a hit, you would likely lose it. Therefore I would concentrate on how I would reclaim steerage. Having an alternate rudder, or way of constructing one onboard and hanging it might be a better use of your energies. I know your cruising and speed is probably not an issue, but you would likely lose speed with this extra underwater appendage. One thought I have along these lines is how you would deal with snagging rope, line, lobster pots etc. and fouling your prop. Have you thought how you would handle that? Prop cutters perhaps? For me, this would be more of a concern than grounding the rudder. I like your thought lines, but wonder if you are openning another set of variables with this idea? Don
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John
Try the San Juan 21 Owners Page
Mark, At one point I was considering a used San Juan 21 and did a lot of research on the San Juan 21 owners homepage. As I remember there was a drawing for a kickup rudder that was available and which had been used successfully by a number of owners. If you post on their owners page I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction and perhaps you can use it as a basis for the O'day 30. I believe someone with an engineering bent did the work and it would be reassuring, I am sure, to know that all the stresses had been taken into consideration. John
Mark, At one point I was considering a used San Juan 21 and did a lot of research on the San Juan 21 owners homepage. As I remember there was a drawing for a kickup rudder that was available and which had been used successfully by a number of owners. If you post on their owners page I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction and perhaps you can use it as a basis for the O'day 30. I believe someone with an engineering bent did the work and it would be reassuring, I am sure, to know that all the stresses had been taken into consideration. John
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Josh
Idea, but uncertain of how to impliment
Like John said, your best bet is a kick up rudder of some kind. Don't know the particulars, but you'd want to find something that would allow the top hinge to pivot up, and the bottom hinge to just be a snap in place item. I would think if you looked around you could find the parts to fashion it if west marine or the like didn't already have a setup you could buy and install. Josh
Like John said, your best bet is a kick up rudder of some kind. Don't know the particulars, but you'd want to find something that would allow the top hinge to pivot up, and the bottom hinge to just be a snap in place item. I would think if you looked around you could find the parts to fashion it if west marine or the like didn't already have a setup you could buy and install. Josh
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Don Evans
How Do You Kick Up A Spade Rudder?
This is not a transom hung rudder guys, like we have on our smaller O'Days. This is a spade rudder located well under the stern and probably using a wheel system. The rudder post would not allow this to be hinged in any way. Or am I missing something. Mark could you please confirm this. Thanks. Don
This is not a transom hung rudder guys, like we have on our smaller O'Days. This is a spade rudder located well under the stern and probably using a wheel system. The rudder post would not allow this to be hinged in any way. Or am I missing something. Mark could you please confirm this. Thanks. Don
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Justin - O'day Owners' Web
Rudder
I have seen at least one larger boat with a spade rudder that could kick up. It wasn't a boat I knew but it was in a local yard for the winter. The hinge was pretty heavily built thing and was inline with the rudder. It was two plates on the sides of the lower piece that fit over a plate attached to the fixed piece. The whole lower rudder pivoted around a point in the center of the blade as opposed to pivoting at the trailing edge. In effect the whole thing looked like the hinge on a folding rudder. Outboard designs tend to look more like the movie clap-board. I don't think I'd spend a lot of time worrying about taking your rudder off. Its a real risk that could happen to any of us - I picked up a lobster pot with my transom hung rudder recently and thought I might take it off as I came to a rather sudden stop - but its not a risk that's easily mitigated without serious reconstruction. I would think your crash bar risks simply moving the damage - personally I'd rather lose the rudder than hole the boat. I would definitely rig a secondary rudder. I use my steerable outboard engine as my back up, and my boat is small enough you can steer it pretty well with sail trim - I can even tack without rudder input. In your case a robust sculling oarlock in the transom with a big sweep oar might do the trick. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
I have seen at least one larger boat with a spade rudder that could kick up. It wasn't a boat I knew but it was in a local yard for the winter. The hinge was pretty heavily built thing and was inline with the rudder. It was two plates on the sides of the lower piece that fit over a plate attached to the fixed piece. The whole lower rudder pivoted around a point in the center of the blade as opposed to pivoting at the trailing edge. In effect the whole thing looked like the hinge on a folding rudder. Outboard designs tend to look more like the movie clap-board. I don't think I'd spend a lot of time worrying about taking your rudder off. Its a real risk that could happen to any of us - I picked up a lobster pot with my transom hung rudder recently and thought I might take it off as I came to a rather sudden stop - but its not a risk that's easily mitigated without serious reconstruction. I would think your crash bar risks simply moving the damage - personally I'd rather lose the rudder than hole the boat. I would definitely rig a secondary rudder. I use my steerable outboard engine as my back up, and my boat is small enough you can steer it pretty well with sail trim - I can even tack without rudder input. In your case a robust sculling oarlock in the transom with a big sweep oar might do the trick. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
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