Rudder Adjustment

[high tide is up]

Hi ya'll....question is how tight should or shouldn't my rudder be??  Some have told me real tight so it doesn't bounce up others have told me semi tight so if it hits something it will bounce up.  I guess my question is should I be able to raise and lower it from inside the boat???  Again...Thank you!!!!

[Pacman]

I think it might be a mistake to tighten the pivot bolt in an effort to "tighten" (increase drag) on the rudder pivot because that could distort and possibly weaken the rudder casting.

To eliminate side play of the rudder blade I cut two disks of plastic (HDPE) from a milk bottle to use as thrust washer/shims.  The rudder still goes up and down freely but without "wobble" (side play).

I raise it using a lanyard tied to a small shackle that fits into the small hole on the back side of the rudder blade.  To keep it in the up position at anchor I cleat the lanyard on the rudder stock.

To hold the rudder blade in the down position while sailing I use a bungie cord.

Hope that helps.

[high tide is up]

I think it might be a mistake to tighten the pivot bolt in an effort to "tighten" (increase drag) on the rudder pivot because that could distort and possibly weaken the rudder casting.

To eliminate side play of the rudder blade I cut two disks of plastic (HDPE) from a milk bottle to use as thrust washer/shims.  The rudder still goes up and down freely but without "wobble" (side play).

I raise it using a lanyard tied to a small shackle that fits into the small hole on the back side of the rudder blade.  To keep it in the up position at anchor I cleat the lanyard on the rudder stock.

To hold the rudder blade in the down position while sailing I use a bungie cord.

Hope that helps.
milk bottle shims now that's an awesome idea!!!!!

[high tide is up]

I think it might be a mistake to tighten the pivot bolt in an effort to "tighten" (increase drag) on the rudder pivot because that could distort and possibly weaken the rudder casting.

To eliminate side play of the rudder blade I cut two disks of plastic (HDPE) from a milk bottle to use as thrust washer/shims.  The rudder still goes up and down freely but without "wobble" (side play).

I raise it using a lanyard tied to a small shackle that fits into the small hole on the back side of the rudder blade.  To keep it in the up position at anchor I cleat the lanyard on the rudder stock.

To hold the rudder blade in the down position while sailing I use a bungie cord.

Hope that helps.
whoops forgot to ask what you attach the bungie cord to while sailing???  thank you!!

[skip1930]

I quit dealing with the IdaSailor rudder popping up and bolted the darn thing in a fully down position. I keep the handle for the nut very tight and employ big'o round fender washers jammed in so the blade doesn't wiggle around so much. You might have to sand some thickness out of one washer as to not stress the rudder head casting. This fit is important, so take a few hours and get it right.

Where I sail out from, the sea weeds grab the blade and pushes it up. This is when the blade can be in the way of the propeller when turning to port.

For me, it is just too difficult to reach over the transom and loosen-and push-the rudder blade back down and re-tighten the locking nut with that short handle. And by the time I do all that in the narrow channel leading out into the 'cut' I've run aground. Hence the bolt.

When the CP-19 is beached for cleaning around the waterline the keel with it's glued-on 6 mm aluminium KEEL BOOT sits in the sand with the rudder just slightly above the keel. No problem.

" I think it might be a mistake to tighten the pivot bolt in an effort to "tighten" (increase drag) on the rudder pivot because that could distort and possibly weaken the rudder casting. "

Yep. CASTINGS DON'T BEND. They crack when bolted down tight. Nice bronze shoulder bushings with washers and a properly sized bolt and lots of grease has worked here just fine. I do crank the nuts tight on the wooden tiller so if I lift the tiller up it stays where I parked it.

skip.

[Pacman]

To keep the rudder blade in the down position while sailing I drilled a hole in the leading edge of the rudder blade for the bungie cord to attach to a small shackle. 

That hole is directly across from the existing hole on the trailing edge where I attach the lanyard that I use to pick up the keel and to tie it off to keep it in the up position while the boat is at anchor.

Both holes in the rudder blade are on a horizintal line that is about 7" below the pivot bolt hole.

I use cheap stainless shackles from Home Depot and I attach them with the pin through the holes in the rudder blade.

The bungie cord hooks onto the shackle on one side and then is led in front of the rudder stock and back to the shackle on the other side of the rudder blade.

I had to shorten the bungie cord to get the length right so there would be some tension when the blade is in the down position.

It works fine and it is simple and cheap.