Single rudder on a cat

An ancient homily: A man convinced agaist his will
Is of the same opinion still

Preacher?

 

Be careful.
You aren't addressing the question, you might get blasted

 

i sure would like to have a chat with the other bloke

 

Thanks. No documentation/analysis seems to be posted but the YouTube clip shows smooth sailing with no vices. Mind you, the conditions were quite benign so you'd expect that. I'm still building (it's cold down here ) so I'm only guessing but I'd imagine the real test would come at the bottom mark in a signicant breeze and seaway. Turbulence etc. But I guess I shall see...

 

single rudder

I have remodeled 3 small cats to single rudder with steering wheel
they all sail perfectly balanced and are responsive to helm

Why a single rudder, would have thought that was obvious less cost less set up less wear and tear and in my case with folding boats less set up time .

My boats go from trailer to sailing in under 30 mins ,
I would like to say I did a stiletto conversion it sailed fantastic and still is 10 years later.
My stiletto also has wrap around front beam to carry the mast and protect the sailors from spray and cold . i have a full length nancell which carries the centerboard now swing type and the outboard close to the center of the boat where it never cavitates and even acts sideways for docking .
I wouldnt be concerned about the theorist's on here quote derrek kelsall who once told me as an over educted engineer that" formal education teaches what cant be done not what can "

give it go modify and reinvent if you have a clear view of what your intend build the simplest machine you can , its easy to design and over complicate anything its hard to simplify , and thats the beauty of simplicity it belies the technical brilliance

 

Thanks for your comments 'sowhynot' and good to hear you like to try things also. It's a big part of the fun of boats. As it happens, I have pushed on anyhow since my last post here but your encouragement is nevertheless appreciated. Then tonight I had been posting about my build on another related thread, and then saw your post. So I've copied here also. Cheers

My 14 foot cat is based on PT hulls and rig but rebuilt with a single centred board and rudder, mid-boom sheeting and lowered tramp. And I can report from racing today in 20 knots that it handles well and fairly zips along. The single rudder responded perfectly every time; I'd added about five inches to the blade and the centreboard to compensate for there being just one of each, and so I have some in the water when flying a hull. The weight increase over a standard PT is about seven kilos, but that differential will be reduced by my having one less each board and blade & gear. I had been using a smaller rig to date but returned to a sail close to the class size today, which really helped. Access to the board is vastly improved compared to the clumsy in-hull arrangement, and being able to get about in a normal fashion without crawling on hands and knees - which always seemed to me unseamanlike anyway - is a huge plus for ageing joints. And the mid-boom sheeting eliminates the need for convoluted gymnastics when going about. In fact, now that I've ironed out a few issues, I reckon it's better than the original. But I would say that, wouldn't I

 

Sowhynot,

Do you have any pictures of the Stilleto?