Will Supercat 20 rudders kick up from the lock position? I know I'm supposed to unlock them heading to the beach but the weather helm is unbearable when not locked, evenNot to mention it's tough to scramble the 12 foot beam and unlock the leeward one. I realize this may be the nature of the boat, but wondering if I just need to do some tweaking

Im not sure if the rudders are the same as on the Supercat 19, but mine will kick up when hitting the shallows.

The answer is YES

jalex

Will Supercat 20 rudders kick up from the lock position? I know I'm supposed to unlock them heading to the beach but the weather helm is unbearable when not locked, evenNot to mention it's tough to scramble the 12 foot beam and unlock the leeward one. I realize this may be the nature of the boat, but wondering if I just need to do some tweaking

despite having "kick up" systems on most of our rudder systems, I strongly suggest everyone avoid contact as much as possible.

At best case ... your system works and kicks up as interned but you are still stressing your fittings, castings and rudders, transoms, and worming up your fastener/rudder holes and fasteners. At worst - this is when/where/how casting and rudders (and occasionally transoms) "meet their maker"

I will also mention "I have seen more transoms ripped off Supercats than any other beachcat" (due to rudders hitting sand) - 2 to be exact so it's not a huge number but in the past decade ...

I would suggest as you near the beach, and furl and depower you can pop up a rudder well ahead of the beach. you can sail on 1 until the beach/shore - this will negate the weather helm issue and allow to control you vessel up to the end

(wind permitting) -ymmv



Edited by MN3 on Oct 23, 2017 - 11:14 AM.

Properly adjusted SC rudders kick up nicely, but all that MN3 suggested is good advice. The early boats did have an issue with the transom's bonding breaking down over time. Inspect, and replace with a newer design available from Tom at Aquarius.

oh yea, I've never owned a cat that uses the 2 line system so i don't know if this tip has any value for that type of system

but i know on lock down (cam) systems (hobie / mystere) a little silicone spray (or grease) can make a world of difference

the difference of system working perfectly and smoothly (locking, kicking up and releasing as needed)
to - not working, not locking down, or worse not releasing - this one can become a BIG problem

I try to remember to put a drop in the right spots every time i sail

So I have personal experience with the Supercat rudder system. Have had to rebuild the transoms on my 15, not so much because it was poorly constructed, (it wasn't) but because I used to have a tendency to come in hot and let the system pop when the rudders hit the beach.
Now after having gone through the painful experience of rebuilding the transoms and every season working over the rudders, I follow MN3's advice and get them up before hitting the beach. His advice is sound and will save you repair time. The weather helm for a short bit is a small price to pay.
Overall, this 2-line system is very good and given all I hear about some other systems' difficulty in fine tuning, the SC one is a dream to adjust and maintain. The only other advice I can give is that if your boat is left on the beach, sand will blow up into the area between rudders and rudder mounts and the thin plastic discs. Blow and wash this out whenever possible, as it can create problems raising and lowering. If camping, (where I don't have a hose available) I will take the boat out in the water and raise and lower the blades a few times to wash the sand out of this area before attempting to use the rudders while on the tramp.

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Supercat 15
Windrider 17
Several Sunfish and Sunfish clones
Ratboat built from Zuma and Sunfish parts
Shallow water sailor in the Delaware Bay
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Just remember that weather helm isn't caused by rudders, it's cause by rudders + sails. As others have said: yes, they will kick up, and yes, it takes quite a bit of force to make that happen, so I always pop mine up before beaching. Let the main go and come in on the jib so you don't have to fight that weather helm.

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H16 back in the day
SC17 right now
Bradenton, FL
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