Rudderhead
Rudderhead
The small eye on the rudderhead often has a sharp border as it comes from the factory.
This chafes the rudder hold-down line quite a bit. The sharp border that causes the most damage is on the underside, as the line pulls forward. You can sand it, or file it, and this will significantly improve the life of the line.
Check for chafe anyway on each outing
Rudder Handle
Adding a rope handle to the rudder makes it easier to pull it up. See examples below.
Knot under washer version - Make sure you add an oversize stainless steel washer. Put the large washer under the knot, smaller washer above the knot, making a sandwich. The rope handle can slant or bend the washer slightly. The standard washer is just the right size to prevent the rudder from sliding down, so a minor slant or bend will have you swimming for your rudder.
Do not tie a handle to the hold-down eye, its attachment is not designed for the forces involved, and you will pull it out of the rudder.
If the hold-down line is a bother… you can cut the eye open and use a much shorter line, just to hold down the rudder when it is fully down. You need just enough slack to put the line fore or aft of the foil vertical.
Alternatively, obtain an M5 nut from your local hardware store to replace the factory lock down nut. This allows you to tie a rope to help with pulling up the rudder.
