Date: 11/10/2009
Name: Greg
email: upwind7@yahoo.com
subject:illegal rudders
I've been a crew racing on a San Juan for years and own my own SJ but don't race it. From my perspective many of you are missing the point: This is a one design class. The rudder along with many other parts on the boat are not the very best high tech parts they can be. To change the rudder to an improved foil shape is not class legal. When you do this then other skippers either won't come race with you and the class fades away or they have to get into the cheating war. If there are others already cheating in your area then that is sad.The boat is a great boat and handles very well. Doesn't really need an improved rudder shape. I'm not so sure a stern hung rudder is very effective at generating lift, I think you have to have a rudder on a post forward of the stern like a SJ-24 for this foil shape to do much. If you really love the class then you need to be defending its specs and bylaws to keep it one design.
Building a rudder that is 2 1/8 " thick is so obviously beyond the class specs of 1 1/2" that it is laughable. If you are going to all the trouble to build a number of these then a little more research is in order and not just taking advantage of an obvious typo.
The class needs to be vigilant in not allowing illegal equipment.
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