Aux. Rudder ??

[deltaten]

All,

I'm contemplating adding an aux. rudder to my W27. The rudder would be tiller, transom mount, offset approx. 1/3 point of the (roughly 60" @ W/L transom.
Use would involve dropping it into place, locking down the main rudder and swinging the tiller down into position.
Looking at a rudder/ tiller from a derelict Tanzer 7.5, which might be not quite half the control surface of my existing main.

What might be the potential steerage problems?? Tracking? Skating off?

If it helps, here's why.....
My "balanced" rudder does a fine job under sail and at idling speeds; but at. About 3 +/- kt's under power, starts to become a handful. At cruising speed of 5+ kt, it's a fight to control; hard to push over any more than a tweak of a couple degrees and once angled to the prop wash, down right nasty to haul back in line!
Quite tiring if motoring for more than a short time. Handling it all the way down the ICW would be impossible!

Ultimately, it would also serve as a (seemingly better) tiller pilot proposition, as the necessary thrust needed would be less and placement could be offset out of the way in the 'pit with a correspondingly shorter tiller arm. Under sail, on course, tiller movement is minimal. Major and/or immediate course changes could be effected by raising the kick-up aux. rudder and utilizing the main. In a "crash" turn, the main should be able to overcome the aux. w/o raising by simply muscling it over

It appears most vanes use smaller rudder blades and some of them are offset, so why not??

TIA
Paul

[markwesti]

I would like to comment here but what you describe is beyond me . I know what you are talking about as far as the heavy helm under full power, we get that too . Just not as bad . IMO before you go the out board rudder route I would discuss the matter with your club and or a N/A . Nice looking boat , good luck .
WATKINS 27 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
Watkins* Owners Home Page
For comparison
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=876
Also on the Westsail 28 after about the first 10 boats were made it was discovered that the rudder was to small . in the SD pic they show the first gen rudder here is a picture of the 2nd. gen.

[stillbuilding]

I have seen a couple of big yachts with double rudders and double wheels.

The main rudder is set and the smaller rudder operates a smaller trim tab hanging off the main rudder.
Have not tried it but seemed to work well.

[deltaten]

Mark,
Have heard of larger boats with wind vanes using tiller pilot to shift the smaller aux. blade or "aeleron" back of the main...so..... Using a smaller adjunct rudder should work for the mino adjustments to course.

I really dislike the idea of my tiller splotched right down in the pit with a breakage prone bit of kit taking up the stern quarter. Let alone the need to detatch (or fight against the mechanism?) each tack or larger manouver

A half length (9") tiller commanding a half size rudder makes it a wash, power wise. Added to the fact that I can place the TP athwart ship on aft bench behind the main tiller shaft...... out of the way, but still accessible.

Clearer???