Do you consider this a skeg-hung rudder?

[kwaltersmi]

Do you consider the rudder in the picture below to be skeg-hung?

It seems a spade/skeg hybrid to me. The "skeg" (if that's what it is) doesn't fully protect the rudder, but it does seem to add some strength to the attachment set-up.

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by kwaltersmi

Do you consider the rudder in the picture below to be skeg-hung?

It seems a spade/skeg hybrid to me. The "skeg" (if that's what it is) doesn't fully protect the rudder, but it does seem to add some strength to the attachment set-up.

AFAIK, it is still a skeg, so.. yes, I'd say it was skeg-hung.

A spade rudder has no hull attachment points whatsoever.

[SimonV]

Yes.

[Maine Sail]

I have one on my boat just like that and have always considered it a "partial skeg"...

[JohnRPollard]

I can see why some might, but I don't.

It does have a ventral fin that fairs into it. But I'd still call this an unbalanced spade rudder. That fin is a fairly common design feature, used on many boats with spade rudders.

What makes it a little different is that the lower end of the rudder post seats and pivots at a gudgeon. That's not much different than a transom-hung rudder, though.

In this case, I would wonder about the rudder design, if the rudder post in fact ends at that gudgeon. Obviously it has held up fine, but it's nice to have the rudder post extend deeper into the blade. If not, you'd like to see some kind of skeletal structure in there. There may well be.

I have a preference for skeg-hung rudders, but my enthusiasm wanes when they don't included an aperture to protect the running gear -- which is one of the big benefits they offer. Absent the aperture, I'd rather have a well-designed balanced spade, with a shaft and propeller in nice clean water.