Hi. I just purchased 3/16" line to replace the rudder lines on my 1979 P18. The current 1/4" line that came with rudders when I purchased the boat last year seems to create too much friction.

The photos are great. The path of the lines is different than on my rudders though. One reason this seems to be so is that instead of a complete nylon covered bar the 1979 rudders have a single nylon sheave/wheel on the inside. Thus the lowering line goes over the outer wheel and the raising line goes over the middle wheel and back up over the inner wheel. It seems like the pull on the rudder might be better centered if the raising line went down over the inner and back up over the middle though. I might try replacing them this way, which brings me to the reason I was searching about Prindle rudders.

Does the end cap come off to allow easier threading of the lines? Or do you just feed the lines through with or without a guide? I am about to replace my lines and am looking for tips on the best/easiest way to do this. It looks like feeding the line through with a piece of stiff wire might be quick.

Thank you for your help,
Jeremy