Emergency Rudder ?

[RDW]

Has anyone had any experience with the M-RUD emergence rudder that is made to fit on the Monitor Windvane? I have the wind vane already and have thought about getting the M-RUD.
RDW

[Paul Elliott]

I've got the M-RUD attachment for my windvane, and it works as an emergency rudder. The rudder blade area is pretty small, and you need to keep the boat well-trimmed for the rudder to be able to steer. We've practiced in calm conditions and the control is adequate, but not exceptional.

The original rudder tube for the thing was too short for our boat and the blade wasn't submerged enough. I talked with Monitor and they gave me a longer one (similar to the "breakaway" tube on the windvane oar), and that improved the performance. Making the rudder bigger, or putting it deeper isn't an option because of the loading on the Monitor frame.

As it stands now I think we could sail our boat with the M-RUD in average conditions, under reduced sail. It's definitely a "get home" emergency rudder, not a "keep racing" one. I'd say it's better than steering via a drogue, or floorboard on a spin-pole, but not as good as a large emergency rudder / casette design. Of course there are always ways for a rudder to fail such that no emergency rudder would work.