Rudders

[Ken Orthner]

Has anybody "successfully" manufactured thier own rudders - I would think that if one took a piece of 1/2" marine ply - sand to shape (airfoil shape) and laminate 4 - 6 layers of fibreglass cloth/mat - reinforcing the bottom and leading edge, and were the bolts go through - would there be any problems with this - I had thought of making something along this lne, slighlty larger than the stock (97X) - basically "squaring off" the bottom, perhaps slightly wider - many of you talk about the rudders actually providing a certain amount of "lift - is the original rudder shape critical to this? also would any weight differentilal have any noticable impact? any comments please

[Mark Prouty]

Has anybody "successfully" manufactured thier own rudders - I would think that if one took a piece of 1/2" marine ply - sand to shape (airfoil shape) and laminate 4 - 6 layers of fibreglass cloth/mat - reinforcing the bottom and leading edge, and were the bolts go through - would there be any problems with this - I had thought of making something along this lne, slighlty larger than the stock (97X) - basically "squaring off" the bottom, perhaps slightly wider - many of you talk about the rudders actually providing a certain amount of "lift - is the original rudder shape critical to this? also would any weight differentilal have any noticable impact? any comments please

I would consider using a foam core. I had my transom repaired with this technique. It is very strong and light weight.

Balsa wood and more commonly plywood have been used extensively in boat construction for many years. While these materials provide excellent compression and stiffness properties for a relatively low cost, they can be heavy, susceptible to water absorption, and will eventually rot. Foam cores can be much lighter, fungi resistant, and do not absorb water or any other fluids encountered in a marine environment. There is also evidence that foam cores have better fatigue resistance than balsa wood. Laminates made with foam cores can last longer and weigh less than wood cored laminates, while producing adequate physical properties.

Although it might be pricey. Especially considering this:

Wood is still a viable material to be used in areas where highly localized compression loads or through fittings are present (such as engine mounts and around cleats), where the appropriate high-density foam core may be too expensive.

The bolts would be a highly localized compression load.

Ah, the Contradiction
also posted on Buying used 26X advice

Better stick with marine plywood!

It will be interesting to see what kind of feedback you get on shape

[Murv Barry]

Just tried out new mahagony rudders on my 01 X and am pleased. Using the shape of the original rudders as a guide, I increased the leading edge of the top of the rudders to 16". The bottom of the rudders are now 10". My guess is I have increased each rudder about 30%. Prior to the mahagony rudders I used exterior plywood as a trial but only painted them. Water penetrated the 4 coats of paint so I plan to glass them and have them for a spare. I used an electric plane to shape the rudders to get the proper lift/shape. Glued two boards together which was 1 1/2'. Inlaid stainless straps 14' X 4" X 1/4 thick on each side of the rudder at the top for reinforcement. Eight coats of Man 0 War marine varnish.

Winds were gusting over 15 knots here in San Diego and I brought the genny in tight and centered my main with my traveler causing a 30% or more heal and the boat did not attempt to round up and the helm remained balanced. Of course I only did this to test it but it was a noticable difference. I also put stainless straps on each side of the centerboard to eliminate the slop so am not sure which of the two mods contributed most. My centerboard now remains true for whatever that is worth. Hard to believe the original sloppy centerboard can help much when trying to point. We have our final race of the year Saturday so that will be a good test.

[craiglaforce]

I made a set of rudders for my '97 out of red oak from a home depot. Very hard to cut and sand to shape, but finally finished them, stained them and coated with clear 2 part epoxy. They looked too good to put in the water so I haven't tried them yet. I really made them for spares as I was not sure if the repairs to the fiberglass rudders was going to hold up, but the originals have been fine. They required a piece of shim wood to fit the wide brackets.