Kick-up rudder information

Many parents want to get a small sailboat for their kids and have asked me about KICK-UP RUDDERS, pretty-much a necessity for launching off a beach and for sailing in the shallow waters of the Back Bay. Some dinghies come with kick-up rudders, but not Sabots and El Toros, the 8-foot boats used in Sail Away Camp. These boats are otherwise ideal for children to sail and can often be purchased used for little money.

I've included photos of some of my rudders, none of which would win a beauty contest. But they DO work. I don't know of a source of patterns. I make cardboard cutouts to see what will work before I start sawing.

There are three styles (and hybrids) of kick-up rudders that I've used. (SEE PHOTO ABOVE)

1. Cut the existing rudder and make extension plates for the sides of the cut-off blade to enable it to reach up to a pivot point placed in the upper portion of the rudder. I've used aluminum plates for this purpose (stainless would be even nicer), but cutting metal is more work than cutting plywood, so usually I've made the extensions of ¼" or thicker exterior plywood. Rudder at right in photo. (You can use marine plywood [laminated without "holidays" -- gaps between the pieces of wood] but marine costs a lot and the glue is the same as exterior. Just be sure there are no holidays that will end up in a location critical to strength. If you use interior plywood, someday it will simply fall apart.)

2. Cut the existing rudder and build a plywood blade long enough to extend up to the pivot point. Mount the blade on one side of the upper portion of the rudder . Just be sure that the added thickness doesn't interfere too much with the travel of the rudder for sharp turns (one of the joys of small boat sailing--making SHARP turns-- and sometimes full rudder travel is necessary just to come about). Keep the part you cut off in case someday you want to fiberglass it back on to have an "official" rudder. The middle rudder in the picture was cut off and the lower part was drilled and mounted to pivot. This works if the rudder extends deep to begin with.

3. Keep the stock rudder in one piece and cut pieces of plywood to replace it. Use the existing fittings to attach it to the boat and tiller (or buy replacement fittings to keep the original rudder intact, but if your boat is like most of mine, the price of replacement fittings can exceed the cost of the whole boat!). Half-inch plywood is strong enough for for the upper rudder part on an El Toro or Sabot (you may need to use shims under the fittings if the stock rudder is thicker) and quarter inch plywood works for the blade. I simply mount the blade on one side of the rudder. Note the cutout needed to fit around the lower pintle when the blade is tilted all the way up in the photo. (Left rudder in photo.)

a. The rudder must kick-up high enough so it can be attached to the boat when the stern of the boat is on dry land. Otherwise it must be attached after the boat is afloat. That is hard for a beginner/kid to do and difficult for anyone to do when the wind is up or the chop is running. Make cardboard cutouts to make sure your design will work. As they say, measure twice, cut once. I usually measure about twenty times before cutting a rudder!) By the way-- the longer of the two pintles BELONGS at the bottom. That way you can get the hard one started into it's gudgeon BEFORE putting in the top one (which is easier see to line-up.

b. The pivot bolt must be tight enough to hold the rudder in any position, even when the boat is speeding along with a good breeze, yet loose enough to be easily adjusted by the young skipper and, of course, to tilt as it hits bottom. I've found that a big rubber washer between the moving parts provides enough friction to make adjustments possible. The nut on the pivot bolt has a habit of working itself loose at inopportune times, so figure out a way to lock it when it is adjusted correctly.

c. Some sort of safety line or locking device is needed to keep from losing the rudder. You can see a safety line on the left rudder in the photo.

d. Try to figure out where someone can pinch their hand (or, YIKES!, cut off a finger) when using your design, and adjust plans accordingly. (Maybe this rule should be listed first!)