[Rhodes22-list] Rudder Clutch 5

[Bill Effros]

Seconding Rik's comments, I'm thrilled with my rope clutch.  It works
perfectly.  It's mechanically simple.  It's elegant.  It never breaks.

The only problem with it is that it's usually not configured properly when
sent from the factory.  The guys at the factory don't seem to realize the
line is supposed to go up under the clutch plate and then go back down
again.  There is a knot on the bitter end which prevents the wrong part of
the rope from moving back through the clutch.

On mine, there's a screw on the starboard side of the clutch, which can be
adjusted with a screwdriver.  On the port side is a wing nut.  A red line
pulls the rudder down.  That red line is fed up under the port side of the
rope clutch.  The line is then looped back down on the starboard side of the
clutch, so that there is three or four inches of travel between the knot at
the end of the line, and the screw on the starboard side of the clutch.
That screw is tightened to firmly hold the line.  Once adjusted properly,
the screw never needs to be touched again.

To lower the rudder, pull on the port side of the loop above the rope
clutch.  The wing nut should be loosened enough so that the rope easily
slides through it.  The looped section of the line becomes larger as you
pull on it.  When the rudder is in the desired position, tighten the wing
nut.  By making the wing nut tighter, or looser, you can adjust for the
conditions you will be sailing in.  Mine never moves unless I hit something.
Because the line goes through the clutch twice, the clutch plates remain
parallel, and the only way the line can move is to be pulled through the
clutch.

It works perfectly!  To pull the rudder back up, release the tension on the
wing nut, and pull the other line on your rudder through the lance cleat.
When you are ready to lower your rudder again, release the line from the
lance cleat, and pull on the port side of the loop above the rope clutch.
That's all there is to it.

Bill Effros