A boat without a rudder

[DavidofMersea]

My skipper has just bought a Pandora 700 without a rudder. We want to take it back up the river to get it ashore and put a new rudder on. We have an outboard, and are wondering if this would be good enough to steer it by

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[longjohnsadler]

This was quite fashionable earlier in the year amongst certain Beneteau owners but I think rudders are now back 'in'.
FWIW I would think it depends very much on wind and tide conditions in the river. If in doubt I would get a relatively more powerful boat to help manoeuvre me but I suppose in flat calm with no tide a reasonable outboard might do it?

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[whisper]

If you are able to steer the outboard then you should be able to steer the boat though not as precisely as with a rudder. That's always provided that it is powerful enough to get you moving at above a couple of knts.

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[Phoenix of Hamble]

I've done this, and wouldn't recommend it!!!!!!!

Its all OK with little course corrections, but then every now and then things go horribly wrong, and you end up doing several complete 360deg turns trying to get pointing in the right direction again... momentum is not your friend.......entertaining!

Find a friend with a tender and outboard, and get them to help.... their ability to just nudge the bow in the right direction would make it really easy....

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[castaway]

I dont see that there would be any problem at all..so long as the o/b prop has reasonable 'bite' in the water and its not too breezy.

Many years ago a friend bought a Corribee ( similar size etc.) at Littlehampton and we took it out for a sail.. A mile or so off shore and in a fair breeze the rudder blade fell off!

We had no problem at all getting back into the fairly narrow river using the small o/board. That was with a bit onshore swell and I would guess 10-15kt wind.

Nick

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[graham]

You wont have any problems provided the motor can be turned.Ideally about 45° each way but 2o°each way would do at a push.

Outboard motor powered fishing boats etc never do it any other way...

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[DanTribe]

Try to borrow a long oar to tie to the pushpit to use for steering. The Vikings used that method for centuries.
Of course, they didn't all make it!
Dan

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