SunCat Foil Rudder Assembly from Rudder Craft - Good but not Perfect...

[Joseph]

This season Sassy G. sported a new "Com-Pac SunCat High Performance Kick-up Foil Rudder Assembly" from Rudder Craft. I opted for the full assembly with the new tiller showing through the horn at the stern. Overall I have been pleased with it. The materials are of good quality, the rudder and tiller vibrate less, there seems to be a better response to the rudder and when on a reach the boat stabilizes better "in the groove". Furthermore, the fact that the rudder can be flipped upright avoids the need for removing the rudder blade each time the boat hits the road (see first picture below).

However, there were a few glitches, some minor and another one of a more complex nature:

• The full assembly was delivered without new pintles (bolts w/locking nuts) and those from the original rudder were too long to fit.
• The tip of the line that raises and lowers the rudder barely reaches the front of the horn at the stern.
• The clam-cleat provided for this line is at the top of the rudder assembly too far aft to be reached from inside the horn.
• The transom of the SunCat is raked forward abt 15º and the IdaSailor rudder assembly for the SunCat does not compensate for this rake. As a result the rudder when locked down is also raked 15º following the same angle of the transom (see second picture below). As a result the lower tip of its forward edge reaches a few inches under the hull. This rake in the rudder does not seem to affect its performance. However, the additional angle does seem to hinder the single-line, single-pull kick-up mechanism: it takes a very strong pull to get the rudder started on its way up and it seldom reaches beyond midway (Moxie's video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hhOWnm3w1U) makes it seem much easier than it has been for Sassy). Besides, when locked down the angle of the rudder does not look right. However, short of changing the original gudgeons with newly designed and lathed ones, I fail to see an easy solution.
  

J.

[Salty19]

Hi Joseph,

Pretty sure it's designed to angle forward on purpose.  Better balance. With that said, it does look to be more forward than the similar item on my CP19?? I don't have pics of it down, but it's lays down 180 degrees from up (see pics to compare to a CP19).

It takes a little practice pulling the line to lower and raise.  The trick is to pull hard with a snap-like motion until it's about horizontal, then stop pulling.  If you pull when the blade is out of the water, it will not come up further.

As for the other issues, IDA/Rudder craft can probably help.  The line does sound too short.  Maybe that's on purpose due to the transom "hole" for the tiller?  Dunno...I'm probably no help.

As mentioned, for comparison sake, here's a few pics to look at..

[capt_nemo]

Joseph'

The original factory rudder on the Sun Cat, when in position ALL THE WAY DOWN AS FAR AS IT WILL GO also carrys the transom angle and to my mind slightly more. And, this does put the rudder tip forward under the hull a bit.

The complaints I've heard about excessive weather helm on the Sun Cat in my opinion are due to the rudder positioned SHORT OF ALL THE WAY DOWN which puts additional water pressure across the blade when underway. I believe Salty19 is right in saying that the forward rake provides better balance.

I have made it a point to ensure that my factory rudder is ALWAYS ALL THE WAY DOWN and have not experienced the "excessive" weather helm reported by others. The weather helm does increase some as the winds get heavier but that's to be expected.

capt_nemo

[Joseph]

Thank you for the replies and the suggestion that a forward raked rudder may actually perform better. Now I have only to solve the problem of getting the rudder all the way up using the kick-up line. But this will have to wait until the boat returns to the water the spring... she is already wrapped up for the winter, soon to enter a farmer's world inside a sealed barn...

Thanks again,

J.