174 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
I Aug. 31, igfiii. 
Small Yacht Construction and 
Rigging. 
J' BY UNION HOPE. I 
Chapter XI.— Rudders. 
There are two principal forms of rudder construction now in 
general use, the first and oldest method being to cut the stem 
and main piece of tlie rtidder blade out of one solid piece of oak 
bolting a second piece of the same wood on the after side of the 
main piece to make up the full area of the blade. This is the 
simplest way to make a rudder; but such a rudder is very thick 
and clumsy, and if not. made rather heavy, is likely to be weak in 
the neck, where it enters the rudder trunk. It also necessitates a 
large rudder trunk, and a_ thick sternpost. It is a very good form 
of rudder for larger cruising yachts. 
The second and modern method is to make the stem of the 
rudder of a thick, steel tube (or of a solid round steel rod) ; the 
low-er end, where it is attached to the blade, being split into a fork 
and riveted on each side of the blade, the latter being either of 
wood or metal. The upper end of this form of stem is plugged 
with a piece of solid steel, and has a thread on it, with a large, flat 
nut, to form a collar on the deck bearing; and above this is a 
tapered square to take the tiller, with a thread and nut above it, to 
hold the tiller in place. It is neater and stronger than the first 
m.ethod, and only requires a very small trunk. As I mentioned in 
the chapter on rudder trunks, a plain piece of tube screwed into 
the keel or counter frame, with a flatige on deck, is all the trunk 
required when the rudder is not liftable or attached to the stern- 
post. 
The rudder of the No. 1 design would be equally suitable for a 
non-liftable rudder. It is composed of a steel tube stem lin. in 
diameter, split at the lower end into a fork, with two arms 1ft. 2in. 
long, which are riveted on each side of a %in. steel blade of the 
shape shown. 
A shaped piece of teak or other suitable wood is fixed on tlie 
deck at the top of the rudder trunk, and it has a gun metal ring 
let into its tipper surface to form a bearing for the top of the rud- 
der stem ; the flat nut rests on this ring and takes the weight 
of the rudder when it is not attached to the sternpost. 
The method of constructing the rudders of both the designs is 
clearly shown on the dra'wings. The only particulars in which the 
sternpost rudder in No. 2 design differs from the one described 
above is that it has a stouter tube for the stem and a hardwood 
Islade, the thickness of which is equal to that of the sternpost on 
the fore edge and tapers to %in. or less on the after edge. It 
is also fitted with a heel bearing, consisting of a gun metal pintle, ■ 
screwed into a heel plate on the keel of the boat and workmg in 
a gun metal socket fixed to the bottom of the rudder blade. There 
is also an intermediate strap of metal through a hole in the blade 
and let in flush in each side of the sternpost. 
The fore edge of the rudder blade must be rounded to fit a 
corresponding groove in the back of the sternpost, and the hole 
for the intermediate strap bearing must form a circle with the 
rounded fore edge, for the strap to pass freely as the rudder turns. 
The accompanying detail drawings will show the method of 
fitting the rudder head, fork and intermediate strap and keel 
bearings of the No. 2 design. The details of head, stem and fork 
for No. 1 design will be the same as in No. 2, but slightly 
smaller, and a plain steel blade will take the place of the wood. 
When the tube is split to form the fork, which should be done 
with a saw, it should not be flattened close to the upper end, but 
gradually taper from the found tube into flat ends, the hollow fork 
being filled in with a piece of hardwood before the blade is riveted 
in place. , . , , , , 
, There are many other methods of fitting rudders, but the one 
illustrated is the simplest and strongest. In either boat a solid 
steel rod may be substituted for the tube as a stem, but it must be 
reduced in diameter to about three-quarters of that of the tube, or 
it will be too heavy. It is cheaper to make than the tube stem, 
but much heavier for a given strength. 
Seawanhaka-Corinthian Y. C* 
OYSTER BAY — ^LONG ISLAND SOUND, 
Thursday, Aug. 22, 
While Shamrock II. was having her first trial in 
American waters down the lower bay, Constitution and 
Columbia were racing off Oyster Bay under the auspices 
of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Y. C, for a cup offered by 
ex-Com. Percy Chubb. The Race Committee was com- 
posed of Messrs. Walter Kerr and Charles A. Sherman. 
It was very foggy in the morning, but Columbia sailed up 
from her anchorage at Glen Cove and Constitution had 
laid at taooring in Oyster Bay the night previous. A light 
E.N.E. breeze was blowing when the committee went 
out to the starting line at 10 o'clock, and the tide was 
running W. The course signaled was as follows : Three 
and a half miles N.N.W. to and around a boat, thence E. 
by N, 14 N, 5^2 miles to and around a mark boat, thence 
S.W. 3^ W. 5^ miles to and across the starting line. This 
was to be sailed twice over, making 29^ miles altogether. 
It was to be a one-gun start with 5m. interval between the 
preparatory and starting signals.. The preparatory signal 
was made at i :30, The two boats crossed on the star- 
board tack, witii Columbia in the weather berth. Co- 
lumbia began to draw away from Constitution just after 
the start. A tow of six barges upset the two boats, and 
' Columbia passed them to the westward, while Constitution 
went to the eastward of them. After clearing the barges 
both laid their course again. Just before reaching the 
first mark, jib topsails were taken in. The boats rounded 
as follows : 
Columbia 1 57 30 Constitution 1 ,58 18 
Columbia continued on the starboard tack, while Con- 
stitution went off on the port tack. Columbia soon set her 
baby jib topsail, Constitution following suit. Columbia 
made a mistake on the mark on this leg, and ran well 
out of her course. She soon found out her mistake and 
hauled up again for the real mark. This mistake caused 
her to lose some of her lead, but she soon regained this. 
Columbia took in her jib topsail just before reaching the- 
second mark, and set her balloon jib in stops. The times 
at the second mark: 
Columbia 2 43 45 Constitution 2 47 08 
Constitution had to make a short hitch to round, while 
Columbia, with balloon jib drawing, was standing for the 
home mark. Constitution broke out her spinnaker just 
after rounding, and Columbia had hers out sooii after. 
Columbia went after better breeze and took in her spin- 
naker, but instead of finding more wind she got in a flat 
spot, while Constitution, with spinnaker drawing, was 
rapidly closing up on her. Before overtakitig Columbia 
Constitution lost the breeze, and she took in her spin- 
naker and both boats jibed their booms over to starboard. 
Columbia got the new breeze first, and after taking in 
her jib topsail, which she had set some time before, 
rounded the mark on the starboard- tack. The times at this 
mark were : 
Columbia ....3 35 40 Constitution 3 40 50 
Constitution set her spinnaker and balloon jib, as Co- 
lumbia had done. Columbia was leading at the end of the 
first rotind by Sm. lOs, The elapsed times over each leg 
of the first rouncj of the course are shown in the follow-^ 
Sections 
or 
FORK OP nvooen 
STEM 
SECTION OF STrR/^P BEAHINd 
(N91 design ) 
Til/3 STfiAP^ ts MALf- WAY aerwetit/ TMs HeeL aeaa/nc, Jki-h* tww*. 
Ons-saif Size, 
