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After our 4th of July maiden voyage, I decided the boat needs a kick-up rudder. It currently has a big-ol' wooden thing that must be removed for trailering and installed after the boat is launched. Several months ago I bought myself a new tool that I haven't been able to make anything useful with. After buying the machine, I bought a CAD software that has required a huge learning curve (I do not do this sort of thing for a living). Since I paid way too much for this thing to use it as table space, I decided to actually put the thing to work and start fabricating a kick-up rudder.

Here's a video of the parts being cut out. I'll post photos as I make progress on the rudder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6z8-B6jz9s

Happy Sailing,

Aubrey Scott in Texas

Thats cool - looks like a plasma cutter?? We do our best to put those out of business with lasers of course...

Would be a useful demo to show the daughters' dates to show them that there bodies need never be found....

Haha - never thought about explaining it to the daughter's dates that way! This machine can hold a laser head or a plasma cutter. Or a router. I like the 2-D work of a laser or plasma cutter. I built a medium sized CNC mill for 3D stuff. Where can I get a laser I could mount on that thing?

Aubrey Scott in Texas.

A little more progress:







I plan to pick up some 1-1/2" thick HDPE today at lunch for the rudder.

Aubrey Scott in Texas

Wow that looks really cool and I am really jealous of the sweet tools but they would be dangerous in my hands so I will stick to hand tools (only dangerous to myself that way). Can't wait to see it finished, it looks really clean and modern. Here is a pic of mine that I am building using chisels and a sander lol. I love this board because of all the ingenious ways to make it happen!

Where do i send a check for my new rudder your gonna build me?!?!?!?!

....still waiting for one of these outboard manufacturers to mount a flip-up rudder on one of their long shaft sailboat motors. It would certainly save a lot of dinking around to make it all one unit mounted in the center of the transom.

The rudder-build continues. I didn't get as much done this weekend as I hoped, but the hinges are done - hope to be welding this evening. I cut up and turned the old keel pivot bolt to make the stainless hinges:



I changed the artwork on the boat a little:



More to follow.

Aubrey Scott in Texas

I made a little progress on the rudder last night. The big block of HDPE will have to be sanded and cut to resemble a rudder. Here are my allotted three photos:







I hope this isn't boring to you guys (if so I'll stop).

Aubrey Scott in Texas

No don't stop, this totally cool and I am already trying to talk my brother in law into making me one like yours

Aubrey
Great thread! You rudder looks awesome as well as your workmanship. Looking at your last picture, I was thinking, what if the HDPE part could slide up and down (instead ofswinging). It would keep it out of the water, have fewer parts, and not stick out so far if left on when on the trailer. Maybe it wouldn't work, but I like to think out of the box. You should build more and offer them for sale. Any idea on a price? I'm sure there are afew on this site that would buy. Keep the pictures coming!!!!!

Thanks guys. Last night I worked on a motor-to-battery plug so I won't have to remove the motor case to connect the battery each time I go out. The next thing I'm gonna do on the rudder is build a tiller with an extension. I'm using a Hobie 14 tiller piece for this that I had laying around. I don't want to ruin the existing rudder so everything has to be made on the new rudder. I'll post pictures as I make more progress.

Thanks again,

Aubrey Scott in Texas

Now that the furler project is finished and working, I got back to the rudder project. It's 99% finished but I haven't tried it out on the water.




And some cockpit cushions finally finished ready for a test sail:



I need to figure out a way to mount a rope to pull the rudder up and I'll be done.

Aubrey Scott in Texas.

I think a knot will work for that rope, Aubrey....

(He writes, glowing green with envy with his fellow board member who can weld, fabricate, articate, and who knows what else....)

A knot! Why didn't I think of that? Notice my upholstery has a "knot" theme.



So I'll drill a hole and tie a knot! Friday is the big day to test it all out and see if everything works.

Aubrey Scott in Texas