Idasailor rudder

[sailinlou]

Has anyone installed an Idasailor rudder on their Compac 16/2?  I'm considering purchasing one, but don't know how difficult it will be to replace the rudder?  Anyone have any experience with the Ida sailor rudder?

[skip1930]

" I's Luv's mine on the CP-19. " On a CP-16 I have no opinion.
It's very much like 'power steering' for the tiller as the rudder is a bit balanced
having just an inch or so ahead and under the wine glass shaped transom.

As on any kick up rudder it's a pain to put back down. Mine could kick up on
seaweed. So I drilled clean through the rudder casting and put a shear pin
from a snow blower through the rudder casting and metal blade above the plastic rudder.
With this rudder hung on four shoulder bushings it is just a bit higher then the
bottom of the keel. So the blade won't hang up on the rocks before the keel does.

I did make and install an aluminum 6mm 'Keel Boot' glued to the bottom of the flat
part of the keel to roll over those pesky Door County Wisconsin rocks close into shore.

Interesting enough on land the rudder is a few pounds heavier then the
flat plate from the factory. But once submerged in the water it becomes a
few pounds lighter then the flat blade.

Every pound less in the stern equals a faster ride. Best money I ever spent for
the B.O.A.T. ; Break Out Another Thousand.

skip.

[JBC]

I agree with Skip...excellent upgrade.  I do have a Com-Pac/2, and have both blades.  The Ida Sailor blade attaches just like the regular blade on my boat, and is a metal blade encased in the plastic foil.  The blade head (metal) slips into the rudder fitting just like the regular blade, and on my boat at least, it's easy to tighten the pin with a lever to keep the blade down.

[Salty19]

Difficulty level is unscrewing the rudder and replacing it.  Can't be easier than this.

yes, the foiled rudders are perhaps the best upgrade that can be made to the boat.  Do a search here on "foiled" and "IDA" for more info, this has been covered in depth already.

[sailinlou]

Did you install the Ida Sailor Rudder Blade only or did you install the whole kickup rudder system? I was thinking of just installing the blade, particularly since it costs $295.

[skip1930]

When I purchased my Idasailor rudder the kick-up thingy was just not available. That's a good thing as I view this kick-up option as a real pain in the neck. My rudder use to just pivot, go horizontal and provide no steering but a whole lot of 'heaviness' on the tiller, [ like a barn door rudder of a cat boat ]  when the boat comes to a screeching halt after I run over seaweed. So the sheer pin through a drilled hole to hold the WHOLE WORKS DOWN is my best option. I don't want nothing pivoting. Any sea weed can be removed by circling or backing with the motor or pushed down and off with a boat hook. Pictured below is the snowblower sheer pin.

skip.

[Salty19]

Lou-  I installed the whole shebang.   

Either way (blade only or the whole assembly), the install is VERY easy.    Should take you less than 10 minutes for the blade, maybe 20 for the whole assembly. Don't think twice about difficulty.

Skip's snowblower break-away pin (or a plastic bolt) is an excellent idea to keep the blade down.  Definitely suggest it.  With the whole assembly it's not needed but if you get just the blade you'll need a way to hold it down if your lockdown bolt slips.

[lee5267]

I just installed the IDA sailor rudder on my 16 and it really shouldnt take more than about 5 minutes if you are only replacing the blade.  I had a little trouble getting the bolt out of the old rudder due to a lot of salt/corrosion holding it in place (I sail in Galveston Bay) but if you dont sail in saltwater then you should be fine.  It still took less than five minutes even after I cleaned everything off.

As for the performance, I did notice less weather helm but I never really thought it was unbearable anyway.  Less weather helm means that I can use the tiller tamer in heavier winds which is a nice perk and not have to worry about it holding.  The boat tacks much better and rudder authority at all speeds is spectacular compared to the original blade.  There is also a noticeable difference in drag in my opinion and I was consistently maintaining 5.5kts (gps) on a beam reach yesterday in 10-15kts on the bay.  The foiled rudder upgrade lives up to the hype.  Get yours today!

Lee