Steve,



Might I suggest that you find a comfortable spot to sit on the hull and rest your tiller extension handle? You could do a set of reference marks on deck and on extension handle. Bethwaite marked his stick and gunwale and looked for 1/2".



By the way, he also states that this is to be done (this is an aussie skiff) "when the boat is being driven hard and upright. On all other points of sailing, the rudder should be central."



Have you measured your boat's side slip? You can trail a fising line and weight and place the flat side of a "D" shaped protractor on the back of your transom or crossbar. Tie the fishing line to the pencil hole at the center. The line will register on the protractor like the arm of a clock.



Remeber that you want the leeward rudder to match this angle for minimum resistance. (ref: Frank Bethwaite, High Performance Sailing -p.265)

(edit) Wrong. The rudder is to be pulled toward the windward side of the boat about .75 to 1.0 degrees. This is not the angle of the side slip (leeway). But the rudder angle desired, happens to be the same amount as how much deflection occurs to the water passing across the centerboard. So, it seems that the rudder produces the lowest amount of drag/lift when it is allowed to have the same angle of attack on the water as did the centerboard. To acheive the same angle of attack as the centerboard, you must twist the rudder to compensate for the change in direction of flow that was induced by the centerboard. The rudder will have to have its leading edge brought up toward weather, about 1º. (end edit)





On a personal note, I'd like to attend the speed trials. Thanksgiving I presume? Also, as in the past three years, I'll set up the Cats2Catalina season kick off to coincide with the land yacht nationals to allow you to attend both if you can get that date for me. Usually near March 20th.