RUDDER EXPERIMENT:
East Coast Rudder Report

by Bob Koar (NJ-89, 1989 Melges)
robert.koar@firstunion.com

August 2002

COMMENTS:

Sorry for the delay but I wanted to respond to your note Bob because I think your comments are very accurate. Also Buzz Reynolds has been after me to provide install feed back so here it is all in one. First our speed was not in anyway increased as a result of adding the new rudders to our boat. The amount of added control from the rectangular rudders, pre 1998 to the new rudders is very significant. Our relative position in the Northern Barnegat Bay fleet as it compares to last summer has not changed as a result of the rudders. My impression of the rudders are that they are a great improvement to the boat and should be approved by the class with out delay. Simply put they make the boat easier to steer and thus easier to sail. In April I purchased from Melges two new rudders along with the tubes and deck wedges. Melges supplied me with a written installation guide which I followed step by step. What was not clear to me upon reading the directions was quickly cleared up in a five minute or less conversation with Charley Harrod of Melges Boat Works. The process from start to finish took me at most eight hours, four two hour sessions. The cost beyond the product supplied Melges was minimal, resin and glass mat plus some tools needed for installation and drilling of the deck. Tools required include drill bit big enough to accommodate rudder tube outer diameter and a compass to align the angle of the rudders prior to glassing in the tubes. I would consider myself pretty handy but well short of a master craftsman. Having said that I believe that the installation of the new rudders on my 1989 Melges E Scow was done perfectly. If I had to do it a second time I would cut the install time by 25% or more. Minimal fairing was needed to the top on the rudders to allow them to align perfectly with the hull. The hardest part of the process was refastening of the rudder bar taking approximately 60 minutes to complete. It was also very helpful to have a drill press available to drill needed wholes in new rudder tubes for installation of the rudder heads. It is this work that makes sharing of the rudders very limited if not impossible. These rudders are fitted to each boat with very specific measurements for attachment of the rudder heads so as to allow the rudders to be in perfect alignment and snug to the hull. Given the possible variations in hull depth and rudder tube angle it is reasonable to assume that rudders are not transferable from one boat to the next. Here is a step by step guide to rudder replacement: Day one: Cut out existing rudder tubes. Sand any remaing tube remnants flush with hull as this is needed to allow for a perfect fit for new tubes. Cut off deck end as close to the deck as possible but unlike with the hull it dose not have to be exact nor smooth with the deck. Make a measurement jig with the old rudder and rudder post. Cut the old rudder tube off one of your old rudders. Drill 15/16 hole, diameter of the rudder tube at a perfect 90 degrees into a piece of hard wood. I used a piece of cherry 2 inches wide and eight inches long. Place tape around base of cut rudder tube to allow for snug fit into hull. Once complete you will have the same type of jig used by Melges to install rudders into an E Boat. Push rudder bar end of the jig into the hull and place cut out rudder post tube over the top to form your measurement tool. I then cut a piece of wood dowle that was then attached to the inside of the old rudder tube fitted with a pencil in the end of the dowel which was used to slide up the jig enabling you to find the precise point to drill through the deck. Be sure to hold jig at ninety degree angle to the hull and take measurement by sliding rudder tube up to deck and projecting the center point of the created angle through the deck. Turn the jig several times and hold at 90 degree angle to the hull to allow for any errors in the jig and take the mean point of your plots. Mine were all very close. Drill out from inside boat to find the center point for new rudder tubes. Having found the center point for the new tubes drill a whole equal to the outer diameter of the new rudder tube through the deck out side in. These bits have a drill bit center that allows you to align perfectly to your center guide hole. In drilling your inside out center point use the same size drill bit as found in the center of the aforementioned bit.

Day two: Fiber glass in the new rudder tubes. Messy job but not hard. Melges recommends one ounce mat cut in one by six inch strips. I glassed in top and bottom of the rudder tubes using two coats of glass mat. Potential for nasty headache from the fumes, wear mask. Very important, to improve accuracy, I left the jig aligned in the new rudder tube while applying fiberglass cloth. Once the glass set up I moved it to the other side to complete both sides. Day Three: Cut off excess rudder tubes and attach deck wedges. Next, fare in rudders to the hull first by filing deck wedges and secondly by filing/sanding top of rudder allowing for a exacting fit. Look at your Melges installation guide and follow it exactly. If you do not have a drill press find some one who dose because it allow you to drill rudder head pin at the suggested 3 degree angle off center.

Next and last step, re-attach cross bar. Easy but you need to be very exacting on this one so take your time by measuring and re measuring prior to final drill. Perform glass work to fill in old rudder post holes and you are ready to go sailing. Or skip the fiberglass work to the deck, use duck tape and go sailing a day earlier. MELGES INSTALL GUIDE TAKES YOU THROUGH THIS PROCESS STEP BY STEP. It is highly recommended by me that all who take on this project OBTAIN THE GUIDE AND talk to Melges if necessary. Also, take your time and assume that it is easier than you imagine. The only part of the project that takes time is the preparation time needed to make the jig.