>I'd like to hear about good ways to control the kick-up and kick-down on the
>P-19 beaching rudder. For right now, I want a solution that's really easy and
>quick to do. I have so much else to do on this boat that I want to keep it
>simple. (I know it's hard to believe, but it's true <grin>)
Hello Judith,
One real nifty idea I have passed on to many interested folks is in use on
Chuck Arnold's boat. It involves a 'fixed' rudder that slides up and down
in a galvanized metal 'jacket' with three depth positions - a method that I
plan to use on Windsong. Santa brought me the new IM fixed rudder for
christmas. Chuck is at: cdarnold@teleport.com. I have a picture I could
scan for you. The reality for us here on Puget Sound is that we will likely
never 'beach' our boat (too rocky, gravelly for our delicate boat-bottoms),
and since you virtually lose steering when you kickup the rudder, why in
the world not just pop it out of the gudgeons and drop it in the cockpit as
you drift/motor up onto the beach? Chucks variable position rudder makes
the most sense to me.
Last summer at a local Potter gathering, I did see the most simple to use
kickup mechanism yet on Eric Swenson's P19, Wightcap. It has a metal lever
and connecting linkage which was very easy to operate. Eric is at:
eswenson@mail.pacifier.com. You might drop him a line.
Really, I think the whole kickup rudder concept needs to be objectively
considered by each sailor. Do you really use it? And is it really worth all
that complexity hanging off the back of the boat, much of it in the water?
G'luck,
Tom
P19 #352 Windsong
Whidbey Island, WA