It has been about 6 months now so I guess it is time to comment, read praise, the new Tiger rudders that are available for the boat. I was honored to be among the first to give them a try.

The installation requires new gudgeons that have four extra holes that should be drilled and tapped. I did not do this initially as I did not know if the rudders were going to stay on the boat…they are staying. The basic premise, of the new design, is to put the leading edge of the rudder further forward of the pivot point so the boat will turn and track easier. In my humble opinion it works great!

The old rudders, while turning the boat slightly off the wind, felt truck-like. Not at all like the “race car feel” you would expect from a truly high performance boat. I prefer to have light responsive weather helm. This allows me to feel when the boat wants to head up a bit, either due to stronger breeze or a lift. The problem with the older rudders is that when that feeling subsided and it was time to head back to the old course the boat did not want to bear off. It would almost get to the point of cavitation, which we all know is slow. I do have to say, I may sail a bit different than some on the Formula 18. I usually sail with the mainsail cleated. I know this is the lazy way to sail and not fast in puffy conditions but it allows me to finish a regatta without hurting myself. I only recently got a male crew that will take the mainsheet from me…that is faster.

The new rudders remove the heavy helm allowing me to keep the main cleated while turning down. This plays right into the way I prefer sailing.

What you have to watch out for the first couple of times you use them is turning, either for a tack or a gybe. With the pivot point back on the rudder it is like power steering. It will be easy to send your crew all over the place so be careful. Take the first few maneuvers slowly, you will get up to speed in time.

I did have to put a small spacer (I used a couple of strips of vinyl tape) to get the angle of the rudder back so I could continue having the light weather helm that I like. I went out the first time with no modifications and had completely neutral helm. I do not like to sail that way.

I have heard from others that they like the feel of the Nacras helm. I have sailed the Infusions and I20s. The I20, with the older smaller rudders, I did not like during the bear off maneuver, it cavitated quite a bit. I think that the I20s now use the same blades that are on the Infusion, which does have a nice helm. This feels very similar to that. I think this upgrade really benefits the Tiger for it’s future in Formula 18 racing.

Other things that the Tiger benefits from:
Having a crew that can play the main
The newer STX (fat head) main
The newer cut of spinnaker makes a nice ride downwind
I run the mast rotation to cleats on the hull

Things I do not have that I think will benefit the boat:
Bridle tangs a bit lower on the inside of the hull so the jib can be most efficient
Full battened jib with the roller furling taken off

Later,
Dan DeLave