Re: Kickoff rudder

Gordon (hlg@pacbell.net)
Thu, 01 Apr 1999 20:37:01 -0800


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>Harry: the push/pull rod sounds like the ideal solution to the p15 rudder
>problem--where did you get the item???
>Bill, wwp15, "Bilzbote"
>

It's made of odds and ends. The pushrod is a piece of 1/2-inch (or 5/8?)
aluminum tube, the kind you can buy in any hardware store. I have a couple
of small pieces of scrap iron screwed to each side of the rudder, extending
aft of the trailing edge so that the rod fits between them. A hole is
drilled through the two pieces and through the end of the tube. A stainless
clevis pin goes through the three pieces to attach the tube to the rudder
and allows for the changing angle as the rudder swings up and down. I have
an eyebolt screwed into the back of the rudder stock below the tiller. The
knob on the top of the tube is a gearshift knob from a 74 Mazda. (A
spherical wooden drawer knob from a hardware store might work as well.)

When rigging, after I attach the rudder blade, I drop the tube through the
eyebolt and pin it to the rudder. I try to adjust the tension on the rudder
bolt so that it is just tight enough to hold the rudder down but just loose
enough so that I can pull the rudder up with the pushrod.
If the rudder ever comes up by accident, either from waterflow or
grounding, it is immediately apparent because the pushrod knob will be
sticking up above the tiller. The length of the tube is such that the knob
is at the tiller when the rudder is in the down position.

The end of the tube where the hole is drilled should be filled with a
wooden dowel or epoxy so it doesn't tear out. There can be a lot of stress
there. My original rod was made from a soft pine mop handle, and it soon
tore out at the rudder end. An iron rod would be stronger, but I was
trying to keep the weight down. The aluminum tube does get bowed
occasionally and requires straightening. If the fit were right it might be
possible to drive a dowel the length of the tube, which would probably give
it just the additional stiffness it needs. If you could find stainless
steel tubing with similar wall thickness and diameter, that would be
better, I think, but slightly heavier and harder to drill.

I forget how I attached the knob, probably drilled it out to fit the tube
then attached it with epoxy. I don't think I pinned it. It's very solidly
attached. I've been using this for many years. I need to rebuild the
rudder part now because the rudder is beat up and the iron pieces are
rusted. I'll replace them with stainless perhaps.

Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA