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Noelex Yacht Association of Australia Inc

Easy rudder blade lift — 2:1 advantage

The picture pretty much says it all. There is a diagram provided below as well. Use the original lifting line, just pass it through a block small enough to fit between the cheeks of the rudder stock.

The line then goes back over the top of the blade and attaches to a fixed position on the upper pintle by means of a small loop in the line. You can use your original line.

Now lift the blade with ease.

One of the big advantages of a Noelex is the ability to sail in thin water with the centreplate raised about half way. So note the cleat mounted at an angle. This allows the release of the line when under tension, a vital thing to be able to do when the rudder blade becomes unintentionally grounded. If you can't release it, you will have great difficulty getting the blade up. In shallows, play it safe and just put a loose turn or two around the cleat.  It will auto-release when the rudder blade hits the bottom.

The yellow and blue lines in the diagram below are actually the one continuous piece of line. The colours are there only to de-mystify the drawing.

Gil Webster