Welding up the stainless steel version of the emergency rudder frame went surprisingly smoothly. Allen and I (mostly Allen) had it done by early afternoon!
So, the next day I took it in to the boat, and with the help of Mike, Carl, and Bjorn, mounted it on the boat and took it for a spin.
Here's a video of it in action.
The rudder has a "reverse tiller." That is, unlike a regular tiller, which points forward, this one points backwards. To turn it, we used long control lines that led forward and, ultimately, tied to a boat hook stuck in a socket in the cockpit sole. The boat hook acted as a kind of "joy stick." The lines crossed along the way so when you pushed the stick starboard, the boat went starboard, and vice-versa.
We didn't have a lot of wind (maybe 8-10 knots), and only had the main up, but it worked great. It was a lot of fun to play with. I hope we never have to use it, but, if we do, I'm confident it will work.
So, the next day I took it in to the boat, and with the help of Mike, Carl, and Bjorn, mounted it on the boat and took it for a spin.
Here's a video of it in action.
The rudder has a "reverse tiller." That is, unlike a regular tiller, which points forward, this one points backwards. To turn it, we used long control lines that led forward and, ultimately, tied to a boat hook stuck in a socket in the cockpit sole. The boat hook acted as a kind of "joy stick." The lines crossed along the way so when you pushed the stick starboard, the boat went starboard, and vice-versa.
We didn't have a lot of wind (maybe 8-10 knots), and only had the main up, but it worked great. It was a lot of fun to play with. I hope we never have to use it, but, if we do, I'm confident it will work.
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| View looking down on the new e-rudder. |
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