Emergency back up rudder for Cal 46 lapworth

[edwmama]

Hello fellow Cal 46 owners

I have the original Cal 46 Bill lapworth hull 5 with built here in Costa Mesa CA

hailing port in Marina del Rey CA

I looked into a transpac regada 2022 requirements

And one of these is a mandatory emergency rudder in case you lose

The unprotected Spade rudder

I’ve looked at Scanmar system in northern call

Their bracket/ rudder system unfortunately is only 33% of the existing rudder

And all the internet research I’ve done indicate that must be at least 50%

Of the existing rudder

Finco fabrication in Santa Ana can fabricate a 50% rudder (with foss rudder and Steve brown )

But I would need a fabricator to custom build brackets and can not find one to do it

Has anyone built a back up rudder? Short of using a Hydrovane or monitor?

Would appreciate any recommendations or tips or any ideas of who and where,

How to go about doing this

Thanks in advance. I’d really appreciate it


Edwin
S/V Lahlia
MdR CA
Cal Cruising 46

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by edwmama

Hello fellow Cal 46 owners

I have the original Cal 46 Bill lapworth hull 5 with built here in Costa Mesa CA

hailing port in Marina del Rey CA

I looked into a transpac regada 2022 requirements

And one of these is a mandatory emergency rudder in case you lose

The unprotected Spade rudder

I’ve looked at Scanmar system in northern call

Their bracket/ rudder system unfortunately is only 33% of the existing rudder

And all the internet research I’ve done indicate that must be at least 50%

Of the existing rudder

Finco fabrication in Santa Ana can fabricate a 50% rudder (with foss rudder and Steve brown )

But I would need a fabricator to custom build brackets and can not find one to do it

Has anyone built a back up rudder? Short of using a Hydrovane or monitor?

Would appreciate any recommendations or tips or any ideas of who and where,

How to go about doing this

Thanks in advance. I’d really appreciate it


Edwin
S/V Lahlia
MdR CA
Cal Cruising 46

Is a backup rudder really required for Transpac? I thought the SER requirement was

A boat's crew shall be aware of multiple methods of steering the boat with the rudder disabled, and shall have chosen and practiced one method of steering the boat with the rudder disabled and be prepared to demonstrate said method of steering both upwind and downwind.

[tkeithlu]

But then, you want an emergency rudder, independent of the rules, right? Or, you want one as your way of meeting the rule, which says that you need to have a way to steer after getting entirely too familar with a rock, and need to practice doing it. Your dinghy oar tied to the stern rail just isn't going to do it. Personally, if I had a spade rudder, I'd want one in any case. My rudder is really well protected, but I still have an emergency tiller that fits it.

OK. You have five challenges: rudder, gudgeons, pintles, tiller, and a way to keep the rudder and the tiller from disappearing into the depths when the immediate emergency is made far worse by your clutzy brother-in-law dropping either or both over the side when trying to connect them.

The gudgeons and pintles

https://www.rigrite.com/Hardware/Rud...s&Gudgeons.php

are the rings and pins that hinge the fabricated rudder to the transom. Purchase or make your own. Gudgeons bolt to the transom, pintles to the rudder. I promise you at least one soft tissue injury from stowing/unstowing any rudder with pintles. For some reason, they are nasty. Once rigged, I recommend that you drill a hole across the upper pintle where it shows below its gudgeon, and then adding a washer and cotter pin there so that the rudder cannot rear up out of the gudgeons at a very inopportune moment. They are good at that, even when non-bouyant.

Then, you need a tiller that will clear fantail obstructions, is long enough for leverage and will let you see the compass while steering. It locks, not just fits, over the top of the rudder shaft. This is another good place for a cotter pin on the working pin.

Finally, you should want two light lines, 1/8" or better, connecting both the rudder and the tiller to the boat, as anti-brother-in-law devices. When you bring the emergency rudder and tiller up from wherever you hide them, the first thing you do is clip them to the boat. They stay clipped on until you remove the rudder. Then you proceed with holding the rudder over the transom and pushing it into the gudgeons. That's just as important as clipping you on.

Here's wishing you a much safer boat, and the pride that comes with that, independent of rules. It beats being the subject of an insurance article in USBoat magazine.

[hpeer]

We have an aux rudder wind bane on a 16,000# 33’ steel boat. It has a lot if advantages. One of which being a spare rudder. But also allows you to steer with an inexpensive and reliable (Pealigic) tiller pilot. So it is a cheap way of having a back ip AP. I don't know if it would wind steer your boat.

IMHO the Hydrovane make sense because it is useful in a variety of ways beyond simply meeting the rule requirements. It is a genuine upgrade.

[Paul L]

Successfully using a drogue for emergency steering with a lost rudder
http://bermudarace.com/wp-content/up...t-a-Rudder.pdf