Building a Rudder

davejump

New Member
[FONT=&quot]I found you Sunfish forum and I was wondering if you could help me. Our Boy Scout Troop was recently given a very used sunfish mid to late 70’s model. Anyway I was tasked with putting it back together the best I can as cheaply as possible. I am trying to build a rudder since they cost to much to buy and what I was wondering if you would be willing to trace the rudder shape on some paper and send it to me, or at least give me some measurements? [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Thanks[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Dave Irwin[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]BSA Troop 8151[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fairfield[/FONT][FONT=&quot], CA 94533[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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Be sure to make the rudder out of a wood that will stand up to the water. The originals were mahogany, I believe. The rudder will also require several coats of polyurethane. I did 7 coats of quick-dry poly and then 3 coats of helmsman on my blades when I restored them. Also, it might be a good idea to paint the aluminum parts to help protect against corrosion. If you need any help, I can measure my blades and send you the dimensions, just PM me.
Happy Scouting,
Brian
Troop 58, Danvers, MA
 
Be sure to make the rudder out of a wood that will stand up to the water. The originals were mahogany, I believe
Philippine Mahogany (aka lauan) actually, not in the Meliaceae wood family of true Mahoganies and not as dense, but a less expensive and still viable substitute also possessing the straight grain and a higher oil content desirable for marine use.

On the cheap you can use nearly anything that doesn’t warp easily. Marine plywood will work. The trade-off is more effort and maybe only a shift of cost over to sealers and varnish to make up for a less moisture resistant, warp resistant wood - - and a shorter working life.


The rudder will also require several coats of polyurethane. I did 7 coats of quick-dry poly and then 3 coats of helmsman on my blades when I restored them.
Not sure why the switch. Minwax Helmsman is also a polyurethane varnish unless the first coats were regular indoor furniture grade then the change-over would give you slightly better UV resistance in the final coats. There’s an on-going debate over spending 3x more for marine spar varnish like Interlux brand with its high solids content and a very high UV resistance and the lower cost, lower protection patio furniture varnishes touting nautical names. My blades are done in spar varnish - now over 10 years without another refinish in sight – just a little touchup where I ding one once in awhile. Then again for scouts learning boating a little buy-in with some annual varnish maintenance wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.


Also, it might be a good idea to paint the aluminum parts to help protect against corrosion.
The aluminum originally had an anodized finish – an artificially induced transparent layer of oxidation producing a matt finish that resists active corrosion. If the anodized layer has been removed through heavy use or the misapplication of scouring cleansers or abrasives like scotch-brite or steel wool, then the surface needs to be aggressively protected – clear coat keeps the aluminum look unless you want a painted appearance. Provided the anodizing is undamaged nothing but a good washing is called for. In a saltwater environment, a good waxing from time to time should provide extra insurance against the salt.

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i am going to jump in to an old post here rather than starting a new one. I want to see what it would take to make my own tiller rudder and dagger board. early 70's. i want to find the plans to do this. i would imagine this is a conman request can anyone help?
 
If you look at the earlier responses here to this thread you will find information on the rudder and daggerboard sizes. The Yahoo users group sunfish_sailor also has a lot of information that has been provided and saved in folders from maintenance of your Sunfish to parts, etc. Otherwise send me a personal message and I will provide dimensions.
 
Hola Jarnett,

First, this is a fun project. If you have another Sunfish to look at, that might help. Here are some pictures of the tiller measurements.

If you need the cheek, bolts, straps etc...APS supports this Forum and they have the correct hardware, or you can place a Wanted Ad in this Forum for anything you need.

Rudder and Daggerboard dimensions: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/sunfish_sailor/files/ SUNFISH/Parts/Dimensions/

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Kent
 

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Daggerboard and rudder specs from Yahoo Sunfish_sailor
 

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