Rudder Dimensions

[OldandBusted]

Can anyone tell me the dimesions for the rudder for a ds1? I'm thinking of making one out of plywood to avoid paying $550 for a new one.

[GreenLake]

You'll find the class specifications and measurements on this site, in the menus at the top. Here's the link to the file you need:

http://daysailer.org/pdf/dsbylaw3.pdf

If you make your own, give it a nice profile, so it will work better.

I just went through the exercise, and here are some drawings:




I strongly recommend that you encase the plywood in a good layer of glass cloth (using epoxy). That should make the skin tough enough to withstand the inevitable abuse.

[OldandBusted]

Wow. That's thorough. Thank you very much for the dimensions and advice.

[GreenLake]

The process of building a new rudder is reasonably quick. I found that waiting for full cure of the top-coat took the longest, followed by fairing the blade and waiting for the fairing compound to cure (repeatedly). Roughing out and glassing the blank was fast by comparison.

So, if you're worried about the sailing season slipping away, I'd stop after epoxying and glassing the blade and sail with it, postponing the fairing and finishing. Will get you out on the water, but won't give you the full benefit of a faired and polished blade.

[GreenLake]

For more details on my rudder project see this Building a Rudder thread.