Old style rudder

Seaotter5

Well-Known Member
My 30 year old son has recently expressed an interest in sailing together, and there is no way both of us are going to fit on my Minifish. I am looking at a 1960's Sunfish that appears to be in good shape: it isn't overweight, the sail is new, the hardware seems to be securely attached, etc. I had a very similar Sunfish about 30 years ago, but I rarely used it, as I didn't have a trailer, and car topping it wasn't as easy as it sounds!
My question is about the old style rudder assembly. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I never realized that the rudder on my old Sunfish WOULD pop up! I sailed it from a dock, and I would just set the rudder in place before we sailed off. In retrospect I really don't remember how I did it.
But I have read that the fixture loosens up over time, and that the rudder can "pop up" unexpectedly while sailing. Ok, that doesn't sound disastrous, just annoying. (And possibly very wet, if the boat goes out of control!) If it does pop out, can you push it back into place using the tiller, like the newer versions? It would seem that it would almost have to.
I am not going to spend $200 upgrading a $400 boat. Is it reasonable to just tolerate the old rudder, or should I wait until a new boat comes along?
 
Yes, the old style rudder can be popped back in place with the tiller and a little practice. The trick is lining up centered with the bracket. There’s a screw that adjusts the tension as well.

Waiting? The new rudder sails a lot better and a boat will eventually come along but it will probably cost as much or more than the ‘60s boat your are looking at even with the cost of installing the new style rudder. I avoided the old style rudders for a long time but my daughter ended up with a 1968 Sunfish. It was her favorite color and she doesn’t mind the old rudder. I got her a new sail this year and will upgrade the rudder eventually for her when she’s ready.
 
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And critical to keeping the rudder from popping up is a white plastic tube that should run the full height of the carriage bolt on the stern of the boat. If that tube is not there, the carriage bolt WILL wiggle from side to side, and the rudder will pop up in high winds. The plastic tube solves the problem 99.5% of the time.
 
I’m heading to Home Depot in a bit to look for that tube. May have to improvise. Thanks to Signal Charlie we know the measurements:
ID= 5/16
OD= 9/16
Length= 5 1/4”

the tube fits around the 7” carriage bolt. I just picked up an old Sunny and there’s only part of the tube remaining. They’re often missing entirely.
I grew up sailing Sunfish at summer camp. All the boats had the old style rudder and I never remember having any trouble with it. The key is having all the right parts and the proper tension on the wing nut.
 

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Also, pls see the latest posts to the New to All Things Sunfish post which as of a couple minutes ago has a post about buying the tube online for a couple bucks.
 
Which is what I just did, thanks to wjejr, rather than search Home Depot. It was $5.94 plus tax and shipping, but it’s 1’ long so you’ll have enough length for two tubes.
 
I’m heading to Home Depot in a bit to look for that tube. May have to improvise. Thanks to Signal Charlie we know the measurements:
ID= 5/16
OD= 9/16
Length= 5 1/4”

Interesting on the measurements, as I mentioned on the other post I have an NOS carriage bolt and tube still in the bag, and when I measure, using a sliding caliper, I get a tiny bit over 1/2" through the bag (.507"). So out of the bag it will likely measure just about .500. The replacement I got from McMaster measures about .504" .

Can't tell what the inside measurement is as I don't want to take it out of the bag, but the McMaster replacement is 1/4" (.250"), and it works just fine.

Hope this is helpful.
 

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Thanks for all of the great advice! I will probably buy it, if it hasn't sold already. I have checked out five Sunfish in the past two weeks. All of them were sold before I could get there. Covid 19 is a terrible thing, but it seems to really be making sailing popular again!
 

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