Rudder

[stevenscott]

I AM IN BAD NEED OF A RUDDER PREF.FIBERGLASS FOR A CATALINA 25 OR SIMILAR IF ANYONE CAN HELP PLEASE CONTACT ME AT 615-216-6108 OR STEVENSCOTT1@CHARTER.NETNOT SURE THE MAKE OF MY BOAT I THINK SHE MIGHT BE A MACGREGOR 24, I JUST GOT HER LAST WEEK 8/12/06 GOOD BOAT. BUT WOODEN RUDDER HAS GOT TO GO.

[PBzeer]

Check with Idasailor for a rudder. There should be a HIN at the right top of the transom that will give you the maker.

[sailingdog]

Depends on how old the boat is, if it is old enough, there won't be a HIN number. HIN numbers were not required until 1972. If it does have a HIN, it is likely you can look up the MIC (Manufacturer Identification Code), which is the first part of the HIN, at this database.

[hellosailor]

If you don't have a HIN, I'd strongly suggest you try to identify the boat. At some point in time that will be necessary if you add an engine and need to register the boat or title it. And, a rudder that is "close" may be off by enough to screw up your handling, so it pays to get it right.

Wood is good in that you can have a local woodworker make one up. Foss Foam in Florida is one of the few shops making new fiberglass rudders up. They stock a number--if you know the boat! And while I've heard some good comments about them, I also have heard less than stellar, so caveat emptor.

[sailingdog]

Also, if the wooden rudder is the problem, why not fiberglass and epoxy over it... that will seal it fairly well, and save you the cost of a new rudder. The rudder that is with the boat is probably the right design for it and a different rudder may cause the boat to handle badly, by changing the center of lateral resistance.