Foil rudder for our Com-pac Yachts

[DOUG142]

Hello All and welcome newcomers,
We all pretty much agree here that the number one improvement to a Com-pac sailboat is adding a foil rudder.
Do a search on foiled rudder or rudder foil and see the feedback.  It's great.
Weather you buy a Idasailor rudder or make your own, it IS worth the effort and change.
Handling is greatly improved. Period.

In the last two days, I have gotten emails asking for foil templates.  Not a problem, I will help any sailor make his or her sailboat better.  I will, though, charge a nominal fee from now on to cover expenses.  Yes, Bob23, it will be less than the 5,000 smackers your asking newcomers to send you for joining.  You at least should have specials once in a while, like the 5th Sunday of every third month you can join for only 4,999.

Is it wrong to sit in your driveway and stare at your covered Com-pac because it is "put away" for the Winter?  I caught myself just today doing just that.
Sure do miss sailing already.
Talk agout Winter blues.


Doug142
Com-pac 19, Sweet Dreams

[Bob23]

   I can vouch for Doug's patterns...he sent me a template that became the basis for my wood foiled rudder.
   It most certainly is not wrong, Doug. In the winter some times, I'll go down below, light the candle lantern and just sit and dream. Nice not to hear TV. Just today, I had wanted to sail but didn't really have the time so I rowed out to "Koinonia" and just sat on the foredeck for 15 minutes. A Compac is a great boat...even when it's at rest.
Bob23

[Pacman]

Do you have the ability to make a template for a C-16 rudder with 2" added to the front of the blade to balance the helm?

After modification, the chord on my rudder will measure 14".

Also, which NACA foil do you recommend? 

It seems that many are building NACA #12 rudders but I wonder if that section might be intended for speeds of 4 -5 knots.

I was thinking of going up to a NACA #13 or #14 because I am more interested good performance at lower speeds and want to achieve maximum efficiency and lift at 2 - 3 knots.

Any advice or assistance will be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

[Greene]

We used the NACA 14 shape for both our 16 and 19 with great results.  We added 1" to the forward/leading edge, but I would be nervous about adding 2".  With the foil shape and just one inch added forward we get a very light feel to the tiller.  I would think that there is a point where adding too much forward would create a lee helm.  Has anyone added more than one inch forward already?

This is the rudder from our 16.







Mike

[Bob23]

I hate to interupt, but I can't resist posting the following photos of Koinonia's wood foiled rudder blade. Much thanks goes to Doug and the rest of the crew for invaluable help. It came out a bit wider than I had planned but greatly increased the performance of the boat. Took a long time and cost more than I'd planned.



Bob23

[Greene]

Wow Bob!  What a great invention.  A combination rudder and cheese tray all in one.  Drop the anchor, pull the rudder off, spray a little Pledge on it and you have a beautiful serving tray.  You are always thinking one step ahead of the pack.

Mike

[brackish]

Wow Bob!  What a great invention.  A combination rudder and cheese tray all in one.  Drop the anchor, pull the rudder off, spray a little Pledge on it and you have a beautiful serving tray.  You are always thinking one step ahead of the pack.

Mike

LOL

[Bob23]

You guys kill me...you really do! I needed a good laugh!!!
Bob23

[Pacman]

Bob,

That rudder looks great!

I am sure it took a lot of work and expense but it must be very satisfying every time you sail the boat.

Like so many projects I have undertaken, the enjoyment of having something special lasts a lot longer than the time and effort that it took to get it done.

Bravo!

Dave

[Bob23]

Thank you, Dave.
   In retrospect, I made the body a little too wide. I did achieve my goal of a wood foiled rudder and was able to bring the leading edge about 2" forward from the original. Because I wanted a downhaul, I had to remove the rudder gugeon, pack it out with a piece of 5/8" marine ply with a groove routed in the back for the downhaul line. I worked pretty good- it would hold the blade down almost all the way. Good thing I thought of that because the thing floats! Of course, it would being filled with Home Depot pink foam, which was not epoxy sensitive.
   Being a carpener, I like wood and I'm happy with the finished product, but you could build 10 foam and 'glass rudders with the time and money I spent for my one blade. Maybe it'll end up in the Compac museum someday. If there ever is one.
Bob23
(ps: Didn't work all that great as a cheese board. The foil shape kept making the little crackers slide off while at anchor. And the wine glasses too, had a hard time staying put. The next one will have a built-in Corian cutting board and cup holders!)

 

[Pacman]

Home Depot pink foam, which was not epoxy sensitive.

Good to know about the pink foam working with epoxy.

I plan to make a foam and fiberglass rudder in the near future and I was thinking of using a slurry of lead shot and epoxy in the bottom 6 inches to avoid floatation so I wouldn't have to rig a downhaul.

I havn't calculated the volume of foam and the weight of the water it will displace so my estimate of 6 inches of lead shot is not even a swag...it is just a wag at this point.

Thanks for the tip on the foam.

Dave

[esterhazyinoz]

Does anyone have a photo of what the original rudders look like? Not owning a CP yet I have no reference.
Thanks for educating me.
Cheers & Happy New Year from down under.

[Greene]

This is the original rudder from our 16.  Of course the hardwood leading edge attached to it in this picture wasn't on the original.  The original was just a plain flat piece of aluminum around 5/16" thick.





Hope this helps.  If you follow the Photobucket link below, there are several pictures of the foiling process.  Also, check out the thread we had going during the construction phase.  Lots of great ideas, pics, and foolishness in it.  Just do a search for this title, "NACA-0014 Rudder Modification Underway".
Mike

[Bob23]

Ester:
   I only have 1 photo of the original blade for my 23.  I'm sure the 16 is very similiar, only smaller:

Bob23

[esterhazyinoz]

Thanks Guys!  Do the new boats still come with the flat rudder?  With the universal agreement re foil rudders that I've read on this forum, I'd expect them to be standard equipment now a days.