That photo Bob shared shows the original crutch on Hydeaway II. NOTHING on the transom was changed to use the RudderCraft rudder & mast crutch. Do you still have the crutch showing in the picture?
I do not believe I still have the mast crutch showing in Bob's delivery picture. The current one is definitely mounted to the rudder assembly, and the rudder assembly is mounted on three triangular brackets. From what I can tell, the brackets showing on Bob's picture are rectangular, but I am not certain. I can certainly see, though, that one would not want to be changing out those brackets on the hull without a good reason. The mounting points for the current mast crutch are different than Bob's picture. My husband swore the rudder just lifted off until I took him out to have him show me how it is done. He changed his mind. :) It looks like I could take the tiller assembly off, but it would be a bit of a mess because the same pin goes through the mast assembly. Think I will pass on that. Gail
The RudderCraft system is, as Bob worte, meant to stay in place at all times. It is designed to do that. The upper portion of the RudderCraft system, the mast crutch, is removed after the mast is raised (and put back in place for when the mast is lowered.
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On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 2:31 PM Gail Russell <gail@zeliga.com> wrote:
I do not think I am seeing the same mounting method (nor mounting brackets) for the mast crutch. If you take away the rudder assembly, it appears that the mast would be supported in only one place, if that.
Did you deliver it with the kickup rudder ready to install? It looks a little to me from what I find in the paperwork and can see, like Gary put a different rudder on.
I will stop driving us all crazy and drag my husband out there. For all I know, he personally put the rudder on after we hauled it from Gary's. I am usually pretty good at parsing out mechanical things, but sometimes I cannot see the forest for the trees.
On Tue, Feb 2, 2021, 2:06 PM Bob Eeg <montgomeryboats@hotmail.com> wrote:
Gail. The rudder simply lifts off vertically. No unbolting required. The tiller pivots on one bolt (3/8) simply unbolt by removing the lock nut and pull the bolt out. I built a 2 position mast carrier for this boat. Low position for trailering and high position when you need an angle to raise the mast. You can see it in this photo........in the up position.
[cid:0FFFC0ED-26F2-4D6D-B232-4096610FA259]
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On Feb 2, 2021, at 1:42 PM, Gail Russell <gail@zeliga.com> wrote:
I have taken a photo and attached to an email, but it awaits approval. The rudder and tiller are integral with the mast, but they do not appear to me to be inseparable. I can post the pictures to Facebook and get more as needed. It appears to me that three bolts will remove the blade of the rudder, but it has to be unwound from the rope of the kickup assembly, which is not obvious. It initially appeared to me that I could lift out the tiller along with its vertical mounting, but it may involve the mast system. I could unbolt the tiller from its mounting.
On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 12:52 PM Dave Scobie <scoobscobie@gmail.com> wrote:
Thomas:
Some RudderCraft rudder setups have a mast crutch system. If this is on Gail's new-to-her boat the rudder must stay on the transom in order to support the mast crutch to support the mast. (This also assumes that there is no stand-alone mast crutch to put on the tansom ... again this depends on what the prior owner(s) have done with the boat.)
:: Dave Scobie :: SV SWALLOW - https://sv-swallow.com :: Montgomery 6'8" #650 :: Truck camper - https://truckpopupcamper.wordpress.com/ :: Ramblings - https://scoobsramblings.wordpress.com/ :: former M17 owner #375 SWEET PEA - https://m17-375.com/ <http://www.m17-375.webs.com/> :: former M15 owner #288 - http://www.freewebs.com/m15-name-scred
On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 12:37 PM Thomas Buzzi <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> wrote:
I have a Ruddercraft Rudder and it is simply hung off the transom on only gudgeons and pintles. What is a mast structure that is involved??
On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 2:29 PM Dave Scobie <scoobscobie@gmail.com> wrote:
Gail:
what is the rudder arrangement? if the rudder is a RudderCraft with an integrated mast support it CANNOT be removed when towing/transporting.
:: Dave Scobie :: SV SWALLOW - https://sv-swallow.com :: Montgomery 6'8" #650 :: Truck camper - https://truckpopupcamper.wordpress.com/ :: Ramblings - https://scoobsramblings.wordpress.com/ :: former M17 owner #375 SWEET PEA - https://m17-375.com/ <http://www.m17-375.webs.com/> :: former M15 owner #288 - http://www.freewebs.com/m15-name-scred