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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

rudder question

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ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/12/2002 : 20:56:44

New owner SR SK 25 1981 Std layout. Literature that came with boat looks like rudder extends lower than swing keel when keel is fully raised, and would contact the ground first when running into shallow water, which is pretty common here in SW Florida, where boats are sometimes deliberately beached, sometimes inadvertently same. ORION will be hauled end of week for bottom job, at which point I will see the difference in dimension. Question: has any other owner shortened the rudder to the same depth as the raised keel (nominally 2'8") by adding a Bolger-type "end plate" as mentioned in earlier posts? I'd appreciate advice from experienced hands on the issue, being brand new to Catalinas, although 50 years on the water in various craft. Thanks, Ron-in-Venice, FL

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Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2002 : 09:03:05

You are correct Ron. Your rudder has greater draft than your swing keel when the keel is retracted fully...... by a few inches or so. The same is true all the time with the wing keel.

I have not heard of anyone shortening their rudder, although it could be done. However, you would surely loose some control in stronger breezes when the boat heels beyond 15 degrees.

If you shorten your rudder, make sure to reef early.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

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Dave Seely
1st Mate

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46 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2002 : 13:21:43

Since I don't have a swing keel I'm a little in the dark but I do remember the c22 swing keel had a kick-up rudder that would simply swing up when beached. Does the c25 swing keel not have this kind of rudder?

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2002 : 13:31:30

Ron,

I would discourage shortening your rudder for several reasons. First, as Bill points out, when your boat heels excessively, the shortened rudder will generate less lift and it will pull clear of the water sooner than if it is the correct length. That means you will lose some of the force that you need to steer the boat, and you will lose it at the time when you need it the most. Secondly, if you do not seal the repair absolutely watertight, your rudder will split and probably need to be replaced. The cost of replacement of a C-25 rudder is several hundred dollars. Thirdly, modern laws commonly require that, when we sell a car or a house or a boat, we must disclose any known defects or other conditions to a prospective buyer that might adversely affect its value. If your rudder has been shortened, that would be a condition that would adversely affect its value, and it would probably make it harder to sell your boat. If you don't make the disclosure, you could end up on the losing end of a lawsuit. Fourthly, cutting off the end of your rudder represents too much effort and too much risk, as balanced against the objective you want to achieve. I beached my 4' draft fin keel C-25, bow first, in Destin, Florida. It all depends on how steeply the bottom recedes from the shore. If you raise your keel all the way, you can pull your rudder out of the gudgeons and lay it in the cockpit, and then use your outboard to drive the boat into the shallows. Personally though, I don't think it's a good idea to take your boat into such shallow water with your keel fully retracted. When storms blow through that area, they often empty Charlotte Harbor, Pine Island Sound and the ICW of a huge volume of water, and create extraordinarily low tides that last until the storm blows over. Using a worst case scenario, if you beach the boat in the shallows at high tide, you could get stuck for hours or even days, before you could get back out. If you beach the boat on a lee shore, and the wind shifts and blows waves down on her, each wave could lift the boat and plop her down more firmly on the beach.

When your retractable keel is lowered, it acts like curb feelers on your car. It lets you know that you are in shallow water, before any damage is done, and, by cranking up the keel, it enables you to extract yourself from the shallows. If you crank up the keel all the way, you deprive yourself of that ability.

If I were you, I would leave the rudder as it is, crank up the keel halfway, anchor in 2-3 ft. depths, tow a dinghy and row ashore.

Steve Milby "Captiva Wind" C-25 T/FK #2554

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mqp
1st Mate

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USA
46 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2002 : 13:57:44

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>If I were you, I would leave the rudder as it is, crank up the keel halfway, anchor in 2-3 ft. depths, tow a dinghy and row ashore. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Or just wade ashore.

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