Rudder Kick-up Stop

[Stef]

When I purchased my 7.9 the owner used a wedge of wood with a bungie cord to prevent the rudder from coming up. I have done the same but what is the correct setup. There is a 1/4 or so hole in the plates but if I put a rod through it it's not enough to prevent the rudder from coming up.

[Stef]

My boat came from Long Island's Great South Bay, running aground is a problem there too since it's a shallow bay. Whatever it is on my rudder it has probably worn away like yours and a wedge comes in to play.
I would like to stop and take a look at your replacement rudder, no rush.
seeuwen@ptd.net

[Jim Kloss]

We use both the pin and a soft wood wedge. The pin sometimes works itself out in rough water and it's an awkward pain to get the rudder back down. Doesn't take too long for the helmsperson to feel that something's wrong, though. Of course it's important to remove both when going into shallow waters.

Jim Kloss
s/v Ambivalence
S2 7.9 #8

Jim is the commorore, president and chief flag officer of the brand new S2 7.9 fleet-of-one in St. Croix USVI. Happy sailing Jim! FYI, there's a semi-shaggy S2 9.2C at the marina next to the Tamarind Reef.

[Tim Bosma]

We have built up the shoulder on the rudder after several grounding/touching incidences and a SS pin had worn it down. Now we use a pencil or Bic Stic pen as the hold down. They work well and tend to snap when the rudder comes up off touching the bottom.

[Tom Olsen]

The only way we have found to keep the rudder in column is to drill a 1/4" hole in from the corner of the aft/bottom aluminum cheeks that will also go through the rudder. Bolt all together with a 1/4" stainless bolt and tighten. Otherwise you will still get rudder movement and wear groves in the top of the rudder or have the hassle of trying to "shim" it. The downside is you will have to remove the bolt before kicking up the rudder, but we have the boat on a hydrohoist and crane lift it, so we never use the pivot anyway.

Mr. Elsen's recommendation of using a brass bushing in the pivot hole is right-on. You need to epoxy it in to keep it in place and avoid any water intrusion. The rudder is a very under engineered part of the boat and we have had to grind out and use more glass in several areas because of cracking. If the rudder is not in proper column, you will experience tremendous weather helm on beats adn reaches in high wind sailing.

[Stef]

Thanks for the input, I'm always receptive. There was a brass bushing in the pivot hole but it is loose. After I make the necessary repairs I will epoxy it in. This may have been one of the water intrusion points. Someone else had repaired the top of the rudder (which never gets in the water) at one time or another, it cracked in several spots and rain water could have penetrated at that point. All the water seems to have come out and it ran clear, someone mentioned if it's dirty then it been in there for some time. Looks like I got lucky.

Tom, did you ever think of joining the class?

[Jim Brinkman]

I sail in the Shrewsbury River and Sandy Hook Bay, NJ, which is prone to shoaling. As a result, I typically sail with the board a four feet draft to protect the rudder and I use a wooden dowl as a shear pin. Occasionally, the shear pin breaks and the rudder kicks up rendering the boat unsteerable. Has anyone fabricated a device that could be used to re-position the rudder from the cockpit? My rudder/cheekplate joint has a lot of friction, so it is very difficult to reposition without getting into a dinghy and gaining leverage below the waterline (astern). If anyone has a suggestion, I would appreciate receiving description or sketch of the design.

Jim
#527
jbrinkman15@comcast.net