Yeah its blowing 15+ here in St Pete, right next to Gulfport. Debating if I want to go out or not, seeing how I now have a case of sailing burnout. LOL!!

I went out yesterday with Stefan and managed to crash in every course change. Too much fun!

Well, I finally got the Prindle back together after it had been blown over in a storm, one of the shrouds broke, so I replaced them both and got the mast back up today, then of course I had to take it on a test drive. Nice wind for it, but very tame (and slow...) compared to the Blade! I would have taken the Blade out but it is still on the trailer and I didn't want to spend two hours setting it up.

what is the rudder pull down mechanism on your boat? And are the aluminum rudder castings a new thing on the blades?

We specially requested the rod system (it looks similar to AHPC's). We keep the boat on a lake, so we don't have to worry about going in and out through surf or sandbars.

If we had to deal with surf, we would have selected the rope system. Randy keeps a Nacra down on the coast that uses a rope system.

Congatulations with your new boat, I hope (trust) she will give you all the sailing pleasure in the world

This looks like the European rudder system. It is not an aluminium casting, that would be too heavy, it is made of bend alu tubing and is surprisingly lightweight.

Interestingly enough all 4 F16's at my club (and all other European boats that sail on the sea) use the rod system. We traverse the surf all the time that way. And I wouldn't even want to go back to the non-rod system. Going through the surf is not an issue with the rod system.

Wouter

I was hoping someone would chime in on the weight comparison. The weight difference is negligible?

Two more questions:
1. Are they the same rudder blade profiles? Probably not. What are the differences?

2. What is the mechanism for holding the stocks on the pintles? Does it use the clip (like the Cap and Taipan) or the little pins like the other Blades?

Ok - that is more than two questions.......

Hey Tom,

On the first question i do not know, but on the second question you can use both systems.
Probably Matt is using the little pin like the other Blades. In Europe i am using the little plastic clips.

Regards,
Hans Klok

btw
The rudders are indeed the European ones.100% sure.

Don't know about the profile but they are secured with ring-dings that go through holes in the lower pintles.

[quote
I was hoping someone would chime in on the weight comparison. The weight difference is negligible?

Two more questions:
1. Are they the same rudder blade profiles? Probably not. What are the differences?

2. What is the mechanism for holding the stocks on the pintles? Does it use the clip (like the Cap and Taipan) or the little pins like the other Blades?

Ok - that is more than two questions....... [/quote]

Either system is available upon request when buying a boat.

Weight wise they are very close when using the same tiller atachment system. I have not stuck them on a scale, but the bent aluminum may be just a few grams lighter. Holding them in your hands it is very difficult to tell much difference.

The foils were developed separately and unfortunately in hind site, they are not interchangeable between the 2 different style stocks. The shapes are very similar though and although I am not that skilled a sailor, I was not able to detect any difference in boat handling. The difference is in how they are deployed up and down. That is just a matter of personal preference. Although the foils are not changeable within the stocks, the 2 systems can be interchanged on a boat with little difficulty. The pull down system requires a release cleat and exit block to be installed on the rear beam, so going the other way is very simple. Unfortunately the ackerman is also a little different, so the tiller tie bar for each system would also be different.

We use the pins for attachment. I dislike drilling additional holes in a hull. Fitting the clip is a relatively simple procedure if desired.

Matt

Thanks to all for the replies. It is nice to have a lot of options. Choices, choices.....