[Rhodes22-list] Another rudder downhaul question

[DCLewis1 at aol.com]

Rory,
 
I've got the electric lift also, sounds like we have very similar  setups.  
When I pull up the downhaul there is a small clutch attached to  the rudder 
post beneath the  tiller that I can screw down to  pinch the downhaul line so 
that it won't flow free (i.e. be pulled back down by  the water flowing past the 
part of it that is still in the water and then  possibly dragging the line 
into the prop - I doubt the line is long enough  to reach the prop, but I haven't 
tried).  The downhaul line in the  water flutters as the water flows past it 
when we're underway, but it's  secured at both ends and doesn't really go 
anywhere, much less anywhere near the  prop.  Because the line is not very long 
and also secured at both ends and  well away from the prop, I've never worried 
about it flowing into the  prop.
 
If the rudder were to hit something and kick up, I imagine the downhaul  line 
in the clutch would pop free and let the rudder rise, so I try not to  
tighten the clutch too much, but I try to keep some tension on the clutch so the  
downhaul line is secured so that the rudder doesn't flow-up as a result of our  
being underway.  I've been securing the downhaul to be sure the rudder is  
fully down and stays down.
 
Does the above map into how you're set up and how you operate?  If it  does, 
it will be interesting to find out whether the downhaul line is long  enough 
to foul the prop (I suspect it's not) but that would only happen if  I screwed 
up and forgot to secure the downhaul line or did not secure it  properly.  
 
Dave