I have completed my Skerry and launched it!
But I’ve got a problem with the rudder. It keeps popping out when the wind picks up. Out of my two outings with my new boat, both of them have terminated with the rudder popping out.
I think the attached photos show the problem. The tang supplied by CLC makes minimal contact with the brackets attached to the rudder. And in fact, in some positions, its easy to see how the rudder could just float up (since wood floats) and get past the tang completely.
I’m looking for advice on how to fix this problem. The tang is attached extremely securely, so I would prefer an option that involves somehow making it larger and more effective.
Right now it looks like the tang can miss the upper pintle entirely when the rudder is dead center or hard over to either side. If you decrease the bend in the tang so that it’s lower edge is centered it on the top of the upper pintle’s pin, it should work as intended, I think. Should also make removing the rudder easier.
My skerry kit came with a small L-bracket which has one screw into the skeg so it can be pivoted open or closed over the pintle. Here’s w/ no rudder and the bracket pivoted toward the camera:
And here’s with the rudder on and the bracket pivoted downward:
I have not yet had the rudder float free of that bracket. I drilled and then filled with epoxy before redrilling for the screw, and coating the screw in epoxy as I drove it in, so the bracket pivots without the screw moving in the hole.
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The reply by Chris_Jackson1 was very useful! A very simple fix, and it seems to have been effective. The rudder stayed in place for my entire outing today.
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