Rudder Rake Pushrod Re-straightening

It's not IF you run aground, but WHEN…

The aft foil is lower than the front foil and will typically hit bottom first due to the length and also because of the weight at the stern. The rod that controls the aft foil rake is a hollow steel tube and is designed to crumple to avoid damaging expensive boat parts. This rod will buckle if the aft foil hits the bottom, even at low speeds.

To repair, remove the rod from the stern. This may require two people: One person pushes down on the bent rod while the other person pulls from the stern. The rudder pin can be inserted into the rod eye to provide a handle to pull.

Manually bend the rod to remove most of the kink. Roll the rod on a table to see the bends. Manually bend until the "waves" in the rod are less than 0.1 inches (2.5 mm).

To remove these waves, use a wood clamp to straighten the rod along its axis. Use the rudder pin to rotate the rod while in the clamp. After a turn, tighten the clamp more. After about 5 turns, the rod will be almost perfectly straight again.