Noticed a few recent pictures of folks hauling their cats with the rudders attached. I had always removed them. Leaving them attached makes setup and teardown just that much faster and given that I don't have a traditional boat box, it solves the storage issue. Cat is a Nacra 5.2. Any thoughts/advise?
Thanks - Dean
OFF!!!
ON!!
Hummm... Respectful of the advise of the experts (Mary and Tom), so I should leave just one on?
Off!
Definately--OFF. Having that extra wieght dangling off of the back of the boat while bouncing down the highway has to take its toll on the glass and I doubt very seriously that it outways the benefit of saving three minutes on the beach while setting up. But I guess if it does you can alway call Jake. I hear he has gone into the fiberglass business full time. <img src=
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I keep them on on my Tiger. I guess if I would do more than 3 hours drive I would put remove them.
On!
Clayton
Tornado sailors (and A-Cat sailors) would probably never dream of leaving rudders ON for trailering.
Rick and I are weekend warriors. And we would never dream of taking our rudders OFF for trailering. We also do not disconnect sidestays or anything else that we can avoid disconnecting for trailering.
Kind of depends on how much of a
purist
you are, I guess. Our boats have traveled many thousands of miles with their rudders on, with no bad effects that we have ever seen.
OFF!
(I once saw a Hobie 20 go through a toll booth with the rudder swinging loose side to side...narrowly avoided having the rudder arm jam against the toll booth.) Too much risk for damage leaving them on.
If you owned a hobie, I could understand your fustration with putting them on and off.
I needed a damn hammer to get my 17's rudder pins in and out. The Nacra's just clip in, takes less than a minute to put the whole system together. They always come off unless I'm just dragging it from the ramp back to the lot slip.
Short distance in town to the beach or ramp - on. Anything over 5 miles or highway - off!
...I needed a damn hammer to get my 17's rudder pins in and out.
A lot of guys carry a 1/2" wrench around and take the rudder off of the lower cstng. Then they put a bungee cord between the lowers to keep them from flopping around. Quick and easy.
I needed a damn hammer to get my 17's rudder pins in and out. The Nacra's just clip in, takes less than a minute to put the whole system together. They always come off unless I'm just dragging it from the ramp back to the lot slip.
I have an 18 and don't have a problem removing/installing the pins by hand. I do have the one piece gudgeons but I don't know if that makes a difference.
I needed a damn hammer to get my 17's rudder pins in and out. The Nacra's just clip in, takes less than a minute to put the whole system together. They always come off unless I'm just dragging it from the ramp back to the lot slip.
I have an 18 and don't have a problem removing/installing the pins by hand. I do have the one piece gudgeons but I don't know if that makes a difference.
Thats 'cause your rudder pins were lovingly crafted out of 316 stainless by me when I fitted the one piece gudgeons on that boat! Aluminum rudder pins are more prone to bending when the steering flops hard to one side - then making them difficult to remove.
All I did to make the pins was buy some standard size round stock from a hard ware store that carries stainless, cut them to length and drill holes in for the ring dings. I experimented with tubular stainless pins but they bent just as easily as the solid aluminum ones.
I'm in the rudders off school.
On...uh... Off... uh...On!
Just depends on how concerned you are about wear to the system. Ease of use and rigging... On. Racers usually like to take them off to travel.
Yeah, but if you take them off, how do you get them back on the correct sides? That's always been OUR problem. <img src=
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So we just put them on when we get the boat and leave them on until we sell the boat 20 years later.
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On the Hobies it is easy, the rudder arms curve inward. You can also use a neat trick flumpmaster showed me. Wrap a band of red electrical tape on the port rudder arm and on the port end of the tiller connecting rod. Chris's rudder pins are top notch, I have had the boat two years now and have never replaced the rudder pins. The cams and plungers however have been replaced a few times.
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On the Hobies it is easy, the rudder arms curve inward. You can also use a neat trick flumpmaster showed me. Wrap a band of red electrical tape on the port rudder arm and on the port end of the tiller connecting rod. Chris's rudder pins are top notch, I have had the boat two years now and have never replaced the rudder pins. The cams and plungers however have been replaced a few times.
Not ALL Hobies! I sailed out through the surf on my Hobie 18 with the rudders on backwards...I was pretty new to things and couldn't, for the life of me, figure out WHY the boat was so hard to steer and impossible to tack.
even thought I did hear that the rudders put lots of stress on the boat durring trailering, I trailered my 20 year old TheMightyHobie18 for years without removing the rudders (not an easy process on the hobie).
I had friends who set up a quick removal system but still seemed like alot of work. I never had noticable issues, but in the end i did have to get my rear beam re-welded in several spots. I think it had more to do with my main and traveler pressures... but you never know.
I know have a mystere 5.5 with a much easier removal system and i do remove them (even though i only live 5 miles from where i sail). I am almost more worried about rudder/boat damage putting the boat on and off the trailer.
i use some red tape on my tiller crossbar and some red tape on the starboard rudder. and it is very easy for me to take the little extra time.
I take them off.
Unless you have a relief system to hold the rudders in place and take the bounch effect out, I would remove mine.
Most accidents happen within 25 miles of home
just a thought..
Guys:
The wind and vibration will tear your rudders system up. Think of them as power steering. You take all the time to get it tweaked then destroy it on the way home. Plus it should be hard on the gudgeons? Take th off.
Doug
I use carbon rudders on my Tiger and take them OFF when trailering. Generally it is best to remove your rudders. Saves on wear'n'tear and you'll also get more life out of your rudder system.
OFF - Nobody over here would dream of leaving rudders on - except Hobie 16 or 18 sailors - which we don't have anymore <img src=
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Nuts in.
Did I just say that?
You gotta watch out for those Hobie 20 sailors, they need all the help they can get! <img src=
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If you owned a hobie, I could understand your fustration with putting them on and off...
...I needed a damn hammer to get my 17's rudder pins in and out.
A lot of guys carry a 1/2" wrench around and take the rudder off of the lower cstng. Then they put a bungee cord between the lowers to keep them from flopping around. Quick and easy.
That's what we do. Same set up as the 20, which BTW originally had four individual pins and someone had a better idea. I even removed the gudgeons to reseat and better align them for the long pins...to no avail. It's a bitch, but I take ours OFF.
Thanks everyone. Looks like the tally is 11 Off vs 3 On. Since it really isn't too hard to remove and reinstall them on the Nacra, I'll be removing them for now.
Hope to get some new pictures posted this weekend, so you can offer advice on my setup.
Dean
I solved this complex trailering issue by buying a lake home. Now, I leave everything on (except the trailer, that's useless now).
How do you re-install the rudders correctly??
When removing my rudders from the trailerbox I determine which way the tiller arm extention is angled ... secondly, I install the bolts holding the rudder blades to the castings from the outside to the in-boardside, (so not to be injuried when falling off the boat .. cut the extra bolt off) So the nuts are always on the
in-boardside
on my boat ... easy!
It may not be only about wear & tear, or time. I trailered w/
rudders on
w/ my H-18, and w/
rudders off
w/ my P-19. You can tie the Hobie rudders
UP
to the rear crossbar, the Prindle has a line that holds the rudderblade up, if it breaks/slips you lose the blade by dragging on the ground.
.... then two things happened ... I started to add up the $$$$s' hanging off the back of my boat ... and I watched as a NJ STATE Trooper ticketed a guy who had his scull/rowwing shell on top off his VW Jetta for violating the
overhang
laws in the Motor Vechicle Code ( it did look a little funny). So with your rudders on are you legal??? remember it is measured from the trailers lights I believe ...
Now if someone runs into the back of your trailer and you are
in-violation
what do you think his Insurance Co is going to try and do ???
If you are going to trailer with
rudders On
get some RED rudder covers ... if you are going to take them off, get rudder covers as there is more damage done in the box being beat while driving then on the boat.
Don't forget the mast ...
Check out Murrays, OK.
Sail Flat, Sail Fast
Harry Murphey
H18mag/#9458, Fleet54, Div11
P19mx w/spin /#86, CRAC