3/8 copper Dow haul tube for CSS 17 rudder

[acreew]

Hello,

Any leads on where to find the copper down haul tube for the rudder. 3/8 x2"?

thanks,

will

 

[Alan Stewart]

Hey Will, 

We make em here at the shop and we should have included the tube with your rudder hardware pack when you got the hardware. If you don't have it i'll drop one in the mail to you today. 

-Alan

[Don Silsbe]

I used a plastic sheave in my rudder for the downhaul.  For the uphaul, I wanted something a little more elegant, so I embedded a piece of PEX tubing (a feed line for a bathroom sink) into a curved groove.  This works like a charm for me.  I guess I need to take a better photo of the completed rudder.

[Chick Ludwig]

My tube came from Lowe's. They had short (18"`24") pieces in the plumbing department.

Thrillsbe's system works great. It really impressed me! (Don't tell him I said so.)

Hey, Alan---ya didn't include the tube in MY kit for Summer Breeze! (Smiley face here...)

[Don Silsbe]

This is the end result of my uphaul tube scheme.

[acreew]

Thank  you all.

Thanks Alan, I appreciate you mailing it.

Will

[acreew]

Wish I could replicate the up/down haul...but she's already glued up. Thanks for the pictures. Looks  awesome.

[Don Silsbe]

Photo won't upload from my phone

[Don Silsbe]

Well, two of my three uploads were successful, anyway!  This is the completed rudder.  The uphaul resides on the top of the tiller, downhaul on the bottom.  The PEX channel makes for a silky-smooth, straight lift.  I'm very pleased with how that came out.  I have simply never been a fan of the sideways pull that most uphauls have.  The forces are minimal, but it just didn't look "clean" to me.

[Chick Ludwig]

Next time i need to build a kick-up rudder, it will have Thrillsbe controls. Hey Don, do you charge a fee to use your design?

By-the-way, what kind of sail rig will be on that table the rudder is mounted on?

[Don Silsbe]

Hah!  Definitely not a gaff rig.  LOL

 

What I like about this forum is the FREE sharing of info.

[PAR]

I usually don't use a down haul on my rudders designs, but an up haul to hold it when trailering or in the shallows. Instead of a buried tube, I simply install a sheave. You're just trying to decrease friction, while changing the line's direction, so a sheave is the natural choice for this role. Picture a sheave in place of the tube in the above image, maybe with a bail or fairlead strap to keep the line aligned when slack. If the sheave is sized properly, the tiller pivot bolt can also serve as the sheave pivot. If a down haul was desired, I'd approuch the problem the same way.

[Paul356]

I carved a little channel where the downhaul line exits the rudder head, painted it with epoxy, smoothed that.  It will be more than sufficient for the downhaul to run in.  On a prior boat, that sort of "sheave" was all I had for the main halyard, and it was fine.  For something that gets used only once a trip or so, polished wood works well.  Not as fun as imbedding a a sheave, I'll admit.

[Don Silsbe]

A sheave is what I used for the downhaul.  Works great.