Preview: How to Build a Caledonia Yawl, Part 32 – Finishing the Rudder

11 Responses So Far to “How to Build a Caledonia Yawl, Part 32 – Finishing the Rudder”

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  Michael Mittleman says:

  Johnny-on-the-spot, only 2 years since the video was posted, still, a question or two: how are the square mortise walls in the rudder head kept true and perpendicular using a hand-held chisel? Is an unnecessary concern? Was a mortising machine considered?

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  Theodore Casellini says:

  My only comment so far is about routing out the reliefs on the rudder for the pintles. I would have clamped some router “fences” (battens) to the rudder instead of free-handing the router just to make sure there was no slip-up in the process.

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  Gardner Pickering says:

  I’m using Oughtred’s rudder design for the Caledonia Yawl II, which is shorter fore & aft and deeper. It won’t stay down without the downhaul; I have a loop in the line which goes around a small cleat with only one screw in it. If the rudder hits, the cleat will turn and spill the line.I would be hesitant to add lead, as the rudder is already cumbersome to pull and lug around.

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  Stewart Lee says:

  The auto-release clamcleat looks brilliant.

  I think I’ve lived long enough to understand that following the advice of a professional isn’t a bad thing to do. After all, Geoff is the one building the boats and making the videos, and I’m the one who’s still studying the plans. My yawl has a few pounds of lead in the rudder and a downhaul with an auto-release camcleat in her future.

  Thanks so much for the recommendations, Geoff. I really appreciate it.

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  Paul Sloan says:

  Here’s a link to an adjustable, auto-release clamcleat that looks like a very good idea on a kick up rudder. Since you can dial in the amount of force required to release to downhaul, it should work for a variety of rudder configurations. I haven’t tried one yet, so I’m not making any recommendations. btw I wait for each new video like a kid waiting for the ice cream truck on a hot day in July, great work!
  http://duckworksbbs.com/hardware/cleats/sd002570/index.htm

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  Geoff Kerr says:

  Here is what I can offer on the rudder questions. The blade shape I use is from the original plans, and is wizard clever. The blade in the down position is actually forward of the pivot point, so the buoyancy of the blade holds it in position. The down haul line is just a means of setting the blade down without having to lean overboard and push it down. In practice I just lean back there and push it anyway and rarely engage the downhaul line. With the blade shape in later versions of the plans the downhaul will be more critical for keeping the blade down. I can imagine the newer blade shape needing a bit of lead to keep it down, and I can warn you that you will not want to cleat off a no stretch downhaul when sailing in shallows. Seems to me that the blade should be free to kick up if you hit something. Mercifully the CB is usually the first to contact the bottom or a boulder. I can’t help explain the evolution in blade shape over the years…I just build the one I understand and that seems to work well. Oh the joys of boatbuilding!

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    John Boyer says:

    Geoff,
    The rudder blade shape you have in the video looks a lot like the drawing for the fixed rudder in my seven strake plans. I suspect that maybe the fixed rudder was not redrawn when Ian drew the 7 strake. Do you know to what degree the shapes are similar between the 7-strake fixed rudder and the 4-streak kick up blade?

    I am building my second Caledonia Yawl and I really want to try the blade shape you have here (without buying a set of four strake plans). After reading about your experience with the 4-strake ruder blade, I’m planning on using the profile from the fixed rudder to make my kick-up blade, but I am hoping you could tell me if I’m targeting the right shape.

    Also, thank you for mentoring me through my first yawl; I built it at the time these videos were being made.

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  John Hornung says:

  Rudder being more essential necessarily needs to easily deflect if struck from below.

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  John Sims says:

  Loved the weighted centerboard – just wondering if a weighted rudder blade would also work well and thereby eliminate the need for the rudder blade downhaul? If so, how much weight would you suggest? Thanks for your excellent advice!

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    Stewart Lee says:

    Yes, I was wondering about that myself. And thanks for this terrific series of videos!

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    Stewart Lee says:

    I did some searching online and came upon a (now mostly inactive) Caledonia Yawl discussion forum. Someone asked about downhaul vs. weight in the rudder, and almost all of the responses were on how to make the downhaul work better. The only comment on adding lead to the rudder was, “Adding a weight seems obvious at first, but actually turns out not to be a great idea in the long run.” No reasons, no explanations. Does anyone know, have a clue, or is at least willing to indulge in uninformed and wild speculation?

    Here is the forum site:
    http://www.boats.duncan.com/cyforum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1063&sid=e9a00362fa902628a2c5e67c44de6a8b