Rudder CS 20 104

[Maria CS20 104]

Just built my rudder, cool experiance, still can't seem to get pics on board, camera issues.  Hate computers, even though son is a C nut and wife seems to be able to anything she wants.  Rather paint a landscape or work on the boat,  Glued up anded out the cheeks an doublers, can't get my fir, thinks I will get a trailer and go get it myself.  PINTA!  Going t a specialist lumber cutter for some raw hardword, rough planned stuff in oak, ash, walnut, and other fines.  See what he has for the filler in the rudder and other pieces I have in mind.  Rudder blade looks realy good, smooth and fair but leadin edge is at least 2" beyond the plan lines.  You professional and othe experianced folks, should I have any problem with this?  I wont hit the bottom of the boat.  Length is about an inch and a half longer too, but all is very fair and smooth and simetrical and seems to be balanced side to side.  Heck, hope it works.  What the heck is a light helm?  Just building and MOVING FORWARD.

Thanks for Comments

Jim Atkinson

[JeffM]

Light helm means little force needed to steer.  Results from a narrow, deep rudder or a rudder with some of the blade ahead of the pintles, like this one.  I can't imagine a little more ahead of the pintles would hurt.

[Maria CS20 104]

Thanks Jeff, good to know, should have a light helm by that definition.  I got lucky at hard word place, really a wood specialty business.  One of the old hands from the papermill where I am the Health and Safety Director.  Elbert, the owner, has sinker pine, sinker cypress, sinker oak, (sinker by his definition is wood sunk in lakes, rivers and bogs, salvaged, cut and dried).  He has aromatic cedar in all sizes, literally, 4x4, 8x8, 2by 3 by, multiple widths; red oak, white oak, cheery, bass wood,  pecan. sasafras(?), etc.  He just finished some hickory stair treads and had a bunch of 1 1/2 by 6, 8, 10 by 8 feet.  He is planing out the three hickory pieces for me to 1  inch thick to build the center board.  Got half a dozen 1x1 maple sticks, 6 to eight feet, thought these would be handy for something.  Selected about 6-1/2x4 by 8 foot walnut boards, to thin for any purpose he has, had them for several years, got three or four 1x5x8 ft.  Walnut boards, beautiful grain.  Most walnut dark heart wood.  Think I want to accents similar to what Jan did with maple and walnut.  He is finding me a re-sawer for some of my fir to cut one 2x12x16 ft. down to 5"x1/4" thin planks for the combings, at least that is my plan.  I think God wants this boat built, Elbert is giving me the wood we selected tonight.  He will get into the old pocket book soon enough with some projects I am dreaming about for the time after this boat is built.  He has offered to plane out the semifinished center board after it is glued and ready to be cut to size and shape.  If some one is looking for kiln dried special woods, this guy has a bunch, I am going to look at a couple of large shops he has at the house.  I'll get a list and post it here, try to get price list too.  If anybody is interested, let me know and I'll get you phone number and all appropriate information.  Elbert is a character, a good man, will fit right in with this group.

Jim Atkinson