Well, as with all things regarding sailing, there apparently isn't any "best" answer to the rudder issue. Trade-offs exist with every model. In my research on the subject, I found a web page that explains in layman terms the science behind the designs and also touches on what a "balanced" rudder is. http://www.philsfoils.com/designTips.html Unfortunately, I have been unable to find out what size (total surface area) is needed for a M17. If I eliminate the forward stepped leading edge on my balanced rudder to make it raisable, I will be reducing the surface area. Could someone here on the list with easy access to their raisable rudder give me the below water line measurements? Thanks, Larry
Larry, I think Busca's submerged part of the rudder is very close to 11" longitudinally and 3' vertically. I wouldn't worry about losing 2" (I think that was the figure) UNLESS you have some spare change laying around that you are dying to spend or UNLESS you are the sort who loves performance. There is probably a slight loss of performance but probably a lot of sailors wouldn't notice it. The good thing is that the depth is the same. Loss of rudder area while maintaining depth has a smaller effect than if you had just trimmed that same amount of area off the bottom of the rudder. I had trimmed quite a bit off the bottom of Busca's original rudder, maybe 9" or so, and the effect there was very noticeable (25% loss of area). Tod
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Larry E Yake