chriscallender
Active member
As my transom hung rudder blade split a couple of weeks ago, I need to make a new one over the winter. Its for a 22' trailer sailer so about 4 feet x 1 foot to give an idea of the dimensions. I've got a couple of questions, and I'm hoping that someone will read this who has done something similar before...
- What kind of wood would be suitable for making it from. I had been thinking of marine ply but I'm worried about it delaminating on the leading/trailing edges when I sand it thinner to make an aerofoil section. I can't identify the wood that the old rudder was made from other than to say that it is not a ply.
- How critical is the shape of the aerofoil? I'm assuming that any old plank of wood of the same size would give just about as much steerage and the reason for shaping it is to reduce drag. Anyway my plan was to rent a belt sander to sand it down to have an aerofoil cross section constant along its length, which I'd check with a cardboard template. Does this sound possible - I'm not a carpentry expert!
Thanks
Chris
- What kind of wood would be suitable for making it from. I had been thinking of marine ply but I'm worried about it delaminating on the leading/trailing edges when I sand it thinner to make an aerofoil section. I can't identify the wood that the old rudder was made from other than to say that it is not a ply.
- How critical is the shape of the aerofoil? I'm assuming that any old plank of wood of the same size would give just about as much steerage and the reason for shaping it is to reduce drag. Anyway my plan was to rent a belt sander to sand it down to have an aerofoil cross section constant along its length, which I'd check with a cardboard template. Does this sound possible - I'm not a carpentry expert!
Thanks
Chris