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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

rudders

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sskipper
Deckhand

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United Kingdom
11 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/03/2002 : 23:00:09

I'm not sure about how this website works. I may (through ignorance) have asked this question before. I've seen plans for rudders for Cat25s but never made out of alumium. Why?

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Dave Seely
1st Mate

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46 Posts

Response Posted - 03/05/2002 : 22:00:11

If you built it like an airplane wing with an internal frame and a thin skin rivited to the frame, you would have a lot of problems with water leaking in, it would be complicated to make and the riveted surface would not be nearly as smooth as a fiberglass rudder. The cost of the internal frame work would likely be several times more than a new fiberglass rudder.
If it was built with a thick skin and no internal frame it could be much simpler but you would need some way of bending the aluminum into a foil form. The fastest and most repeatable way would be a set of dies and a seveal hundred ton press (big $$$). The rudder would have to be made in at least 4 pieces and welded together (more $$$). A fiberglass rudder is just much cheeper and easier to make, with very little cost up front for tooling.
I am building a mold for a new rudder right now and I should have less than $150 in the mold. I figure another $200 in material for the rudder. This doesn't take into account the 80 or so hours I'll have in it but according to my boss, my time isn't worth much anyway.

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teamwike
1st Mate

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82 Posts

Response Posted - 03/05/2002 : 22:23:48

Dave are you going into production?
Good Luck :)
Max in Jaxs

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/07/2002 : 15:20:26

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>I am building a mold for a new rudder right now and I should have less than $150 in the mold. I figure another $200 in material for the rudder. This doesn't take into account the 80 or so hours I'll have in it but according to my boss, my time isn't worth much anyway. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>
I just ordered some parts from Catalina Direct today, and out of curiousity I asked about their rudders. According to CD, the prices listed in the handbook are not correct. Also, in their computer system, the balanced rudder is cheaper if ordered with the pintles($443.00 w/o pintles and $428.00 w/pintles)?!? The salesperson stated that the prices were probably reversed. Anyway, is it worth the time and effort to save around $75.00?

Don & Jennifer, Northstar
C25 SR/FK

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Dave Seely
1st Mate

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46 Posts

Response Posted - 03/07/2002 : 23:07:53

In a word NO, definately not worth the trouble to make your own rudder. I'm only doing this because I am building a windvane steering and I need to make a few design changes to the rudder to improve the response of the windvane. My rudder will not be swept back at all, it will be a strait blade with a NACA 0013 profile and the pintles moved closer to the center of forces. This will make it more efficient and even easier to steer than the balanced Catalina rudder. I know some people will complain that a rudder that is balanced too well has "no feel". That's true but with any luck I won't have my hand on the tiller too often.

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Bristle
Admiral

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USA
834 Posts

Response Posted - 03/08/2002 : 12:18:29

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Anyway, is it worth the time and effort to save around $75.00?
Don & Jennifer, Northstar
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

Don & Jennifer: The pintles are a PAIN IN THE ASS to install, especially if (as in my case) they are too narrow for the blade. (CD couldn't explain or do anything about that.) Drilling precisely perpendicular holes through a foil is an exercise in itself. I did drill oversized holes, fill with epoxy, and redrill (to prevent water intrusion and add strength), which I was told they don't do. But I'd definitely take the rudder with the pintles for that price, which, by the way, is less than they charged me a year ago!

Measure your gudgeons--the distance between them and the distance down from the transom cutout to the top gudgeon, and check with CD about the pintle placement. You can adjust somewhat with washers on top of the gudgeons.

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 SR-FK #5032 "Passage" in CT

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