Bill

Thanks for the comments. I will try to build those features into the concept. Most of them are easy enough, but some may be difficult.

There is nothing wrong with the SC rudders, except that it is impossible to reduce the wetted surface without pivoting.

My goal is to have both alternatives available:

Pivoting for accidental grounding, other hits and fast raising AND vertical hoisting, for reduced wetted surface with the same blade section - a usefull feature for light wind sailing and better control in shoal waters.

As you know, I like to investigate new concepts, but in this case I am also trying to make a better rudder for my own boat.

It comes standard with a typical pivoting rudder, but with the engine bracket also pivoting in the rudderhead. This setup is meant to keep weight as far aft as possible, while also keeping the propeller clear from the rudder's foils. It also improves manouverability when motoring, so it is not bad. However, it will make departing/arriving in a shoal shore a bit complicated. The tilted rudder will be as inefective as a tilted beach cat rudder (worse, with foils) AND the engine will be out of the water.

By the way: I did not like the pivoting dagger rudder system used in the F-33. It is a cassete with a blade inside, held by two gudgeons. The lower gudgeon has freedom to disconnect from the cassete (if the blade hits something) and the upper gudgeon has freedom to rotate around the horizontal axis (pivot) additionally to the usual vertical axis. When it pivots, all the stresses go to the upper gudgeon ALONE. It is probably as reinforced as one would expect, but the concept did not convince me. I'd rather keep the rudderhead fixed and pivot the blade only.

Thanks again,
Luiz