The US builder received a set up rod kickup rudders that were seriously below par. I guess this spooked them. Anyway something caused them to redesign the rudder setup using lines and kick-up cleats. It may also have been the seaweed floating around florida.

Currently both AHPC and Catamaranparts are producing rod system kick-up rudders that pass the "properly done" test. There are some builders out there that make similar rudder systems but the first one we tried delivered us crap work. And this is really an achievement as the rod is so incredibally simple that you have to make an effort to %^*&$* it up.


All the parts used in the rudders are shown in the picture below, there are no more parts, no spring, bungees or lines. There is just a one piece rudder stock the rudderblade and the rod with it locking pin a locking plate.




For more info on the rod system look here.

http://www.ahpc.com.au/pdf/Using%20Smart%20Lk%20Snap%20System.pdf

And yes it is truly a kick-up system and it works really well too. And, no, it is not a Hobie setup so , yes, you'll have to give yourself a little bit of time to figure out how to operate it. Once you do however you'll not want to go back to any nacra or hobie system. Biggest advantage, almost no moving parts. Dirt or salt doesn't bother it and once tuned and taped up they keep their settings for years and years.

Pretty much the rod is a more or less flexibly glass rod with black heat shrink around it. The heat shrink is there you won't get any splinters in your hands. The metal ending near the rearbeam has a pin in it that falls into a hole in a stainless steel plate fitted to the tiller. This happens when the rudder is down. For the rudder to move up it needs to press the pin out of it locking hole. As the pin is straight it can't do that UNLESS the rod itself is bending giving the pin the angle of the vertical as well. So with enough force the rod bend a little allowing the pin to pop out of its locking hole, the rod is then unsupported and the rudder moves up further.

On my stocks I tighten the bolts a little so the rudder just jams a little inside the stock now I can disengage the rods and sail through to surf with the rudders down and full control. As soon as the tips hit the bottom the rudders are pushed up. Only a little bit of contact is needed for that. When the surf is a shallow as 0.5 mtr the breakers are behind me. I've been doing this for 3 years now and everything is fine. Only now you can see that a little gelcoat is rubbed off the very ends ot the rudderboards.

If you really want to know all the details then Skype me sometime.

Or contact Tim Bohan, I used him my setup when he was over here at my place, he'll tell you what he saw and that it was good.

Before I forget the carbon rudder stocks of AHPC look much nicer then the ones show in the PDF document (old alu setup).

Wouter