Hi Rick, I bought an Idasailor rudder back in 2007, and it drops down immediately after hitting an obstruction (which admittedly has happened only rarely. If I raise the blade slightly above horizontal for some reason (e.g., to remove grass), I have to raise it a few inches with the rope and turn it loose to let gravity drop it to vertical position. I have not experimented, but I am guessing that the blade would drop to vertical when the tip is at or below the level where the keel would ground, and probably a great deal higher. I have hydraulic rams on my unit. Maybe your rudder is older than mine, but your boat is newer. Sorry I don't know anything about Unifoil products. Tom M17 #626 Scintilla On Feb 27, 2013, at 5:08 AM, Rick Davies wrote:
I'd like to poll the group on experience with the Unifoil hydraulic kickup rudder. I'm using an Idasailor kickup without the strut, and it's a bear to get back down after it partially retracts from hitting bottom, which is quite a problem when the wind's blowing. Does the Unifoil reset itself after hitting an obstacle? Or do you still have to haul it back down with the control line, like I do now? It's a big investment to make, and I'd like to be sure it's going to be an improvement over what I have now.
Thanks for any information anyone can give,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L