Weather helm

[bruce]

I agree, see if you can get the rudder to come up with the one line. But, I still would consider a safety line for travel, it seems to be a recurring issue.

Stainless can be hard to drill, especially with small diameter bits, and taps, that can bend and snap. A fresh bit, slow speed, moderate pressure, and lube should do it. This link is good overview of better bits, but HSS is fine with good technique. Sharp is the biggest thing, and if you overheat it, it will lose it's edge. No bit is bullet proof.
https://www.grainger.com/know-how/industry/metalworking/kh-which-drill-bit-does-the-job

[slode]

Just as important than not overheating your bit is not overheating the part in the area you are drilling.  Stainless will work harden when hot and once that happens good luck getting a bit through it!  Like Bruce said go SLOW speed on the drill with a SHARP bit with oil.

[Jim in TC]

I agree, see if you can get the rudder to come up with the one line. But, I still would consider a safety line for travel, it seems to be a recurring issue.

The video suggests that it may take some practice. Whether it is age (mine or the rudder's) or some small design change that I can't detect from the photos and video, I can't seem to get the rudder to stand all the way up as they show (I will keep practicing...). That said, I can raise it well enough for most purposes, and a little boat hook action will bring it the rest of the way up when necessary. And re-deploying the rudder now works without needing an assist by reaching over the transom. Part of the issue -aside from not knowing some of the technique -  was that the pivot bolt was too tight, which did not allow the rudder to swing as freely. Once that was adjusted it became more clear just how the system was designed to work. It appears that the piston is strong enough (and the system designed well enough) that the rudder will not swing up from water pressure while under way and also hold it steady in the upright position. I agree that a bit of extra attention to travel would be prudent, and a simple tether or bungee should be equal to that task.

Bottom line is that the 'extra' line with its graceless installation can be simply removed.

[jdklaser]

This topic takes me back to my youth sailing beetlecats back in the 1960s.  We did just about everything to improve the performance of that little cat boat. (performance?  we were only sailing at 4 kts -ha)  I can still hear my dad blasting me after I broke 4 masts trying to move the CE forward by shimming the step.  We did just about everything from, trailing edge fairing, gybing centerboards, track instead of hoops on the mast (Leo Telesmanick bitched us out on that one), vang installation, and even removing ribs to make the boat lighter (bad idea), side stays/no side stays, polymer application and flow injection while sailing (we used restaurant drying agent, cheaper than the product of the day called Polygo blue), and sail redesign (way past max dimension down low)  For me the Suncat sails great, weather helm is not that bad, but we're lucky to have this forum to toss these ideas around.  It's all good.  Rock on.   

[Bub]

To Roland, Bruce and others on this discussion. I'm following all the discussion with much interest. Has anyone gotten more info in the replacement foil as opposed to the all new kick up rudder?
Has anyone installed a replacement foil?
I cannot tell from Ruddercraft if it is necessary to remove the rudder head in order to install the new blade. My SunDay Cat is hanging in a sling and there is no way I can remove the head unless I haul,the boat.  But if I only need to drop the old kick up blade, drill one hole in the replacement, and reattach it using the friction bolt it would be great.
Many Thanks
Bub

[bruce]

Hopefully someone here has installed the Ruddercraft blade on a SC and can verify, but those who've installed one on a PC, with a similar rudder head design, just removed the pivot bolt, slid the old blade out, and slipped the new one in. I see they deliver it undrilled so you'll be able to drill the hole where you need it. One PC sailor did report some slight trimming necessary to get the blade to swing properly. Drilling your own pivot hole would take care of that. A bit of a pain maybe, with the boat in the sling, but you'll be sure of the alignment. You can always just mark the hole location and drill the blade off the boat, probably be easier.
https://store.ruddercraft.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=181_29&product_id=135

[Zephyros]

If you do end up having to remove your rudder head here is a tail of caution from my recent maintenance. I disassembled my rudder to repaint the Head and Grungon as the paint had mostly flaked off. While doing this I discovered the 13 year old assembly stuck as my best guess the previous owner had never regreased the bolts. You can see from my disassembly photos I have a vice grip attached to the bolt head and the bolt stayed secure. I had to use a centerpunch to tap it out, hoping I did not damage the bronze bushings. They did end up with a slight impression from the bolt threads but I think they will be okay when I regease, I could replace them but pressing in new ones does not look like fun.

[Bub]

Thanks Bruce and Zephyros. It appeared that I could do the change out from the cockpit, boat in sling by just removing the pivot bolt but I wanted confirmation. The reason is highlighted by Zephyros warning about the rudder head. My SunDayCat was in pristine shape when I purchased it, with one major exception== the rudder was nearly frozen by corrosion, and it took a good friend of mine with decades of sailing, and maintenannce experience and every imaginable tool in his workshop over two hours to remove the rudder head without damage, while the boat was firmly set on a trailer, in order to clean and lubricate it. I cannot imagine a worse design for releasing the pintle/gudgeon in order to do this maintenance and never wanted to deal with it again. What was Hutchins thinking?

[Roland of Macatawa]

Hi, Bub:

I've been away and missed, until now, your comment addressed to me.

I have not purchased a Ruddercraft replacement blade, as of now. Am still considering it.
Got frustrated gathering information and put it at a lower priority than other ongoing projects.

Yet it is my understanding that it is a slip-in substitution of the rudder blade.
And the pivot hole must be first drilled to match your existing rudder.

A tidbit of information which I learned may be significant to you:
The head of the RudderCraft replacement blade for the Suncat is 3/8" thick.
My factory Com-Pac rudder is only 5/16" thick but the rudder housing has a nominally 3/8" wide slot.
The RudderCraft blade may become a snug fit into the Com-Pac rudder housing.
You may wish to confirm these dimensions as you proceed.

And note my posting above which, referring to an earlier discussion thread, shows the RudderCraft rudder installed on a CP-19.
Ruddercraft uses the same replacement blade for both the SunCat and the CP-19.
I do not know whether or not Com-Pac uses the same rudder head for both the SunCat and the CP-19.

Regards, Roland

[Bub]

Thanks Roland. I have noticed obvious lateral movement on the current blade inside the rudder head. So I assume the 3/8 " wide Ruddercraft would be a better fit. Maybe snug, but not so tight as to fail to kick up I hope. I'll see if the mfg can provide any assurances. I may also contact Hutchins to verify the design size of the slot on my SunDay Cat year model== 2012 ==rudder head, as I cannot get an accurate field measurement from mine as it rests in a sling above the water.

[Zephyros]

I've been away and missed, until now, your comment addressed to me.

Hi Roland, by chance have you "been away" because you never received any forum notifications? I have not received notifications since June 19th as there seems to be a setting or bug in the forum software that needs attention by the site admin. I've started a help post at this link, please chime in it it has been affecting you as well:

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=11497.0

[Roland of Macatawa]

Hi Zephyros, aka Tom:

Until your posts, I wasn't aware of the notify function so had never used it.
Seems like it would be useful, if working. I'll give it a try.

Regards, Roland

[Zephyros]

Until your posts, I wasn't aware of the notify function so had never used it.
Seems like it would be useful, if working. I'll give it a try.

It is a very useful function, it used to be the only way I would visit the forum, until I realized it was broken and only sending spartic notifications. Once you set it up, please post your experience over on the thread I started about the bug:

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=11497.0

[Bub]

Hey Roland and others.
I've not installed the RudderCraft foil rudder yet due to the difficult position where the boats rests above water in a sling. But I still think I'll do it eventually.

Have you, or others done the hole drilling and install?

And, have any installations been on the SunDay Cat version of the boat?
Many Thanks.

[Bub]

Hello all. I began this discussion months ago and it was helpful. I decided to sail my SunDay Cat for a season and see how it handled in various conditions. I also wanted to hear more from folks who have installed the Rudder Craft foil shape blade about its performance.

I am leaning toward purchasing but would like to know what experience other sailors have had with this product. Any feedback would be very helpful.

Many Thanks!