felvic wrote:
Husse0416 wrote:
Does the Outback rudder fit the Compass?? They seem to have a totally different construction.
Maybe you mean the PA rudder but I have no idea if even they are interchangeable?
First look it seems possible.
Just have to cut like this. I'll have a look tomorrow...
The rudders are not compatible. They appear to be of similar size, but the standard rudder is fatter. Grinding the standard rudder down and shortening it to fit would make it weak and short.
The Compass rudder is designed to be flexible so that it can absorb the impact of dropping the boat without damaging it or the other rudder components. If you think it is weak, just try to break it. You'll find it difficult.
The Compass rudder is also thin in order to be lighter in weight. The small weight savings contributes with many others to make the Compass a lighter boat.
Finally, the profile shape of the rudder is important to its performance. Compared with the Hobie standard rudder, the squared-off Compass rudder requires less depth and at the same time, has more surface area in clear water below the boat. The portion of the rudder behind the boat is essentially not functional. To demonstrate, retract the rudder and watch your rudder authority disappear!
My Compass rudder was slightly warped as well and I felt it should be straight. On the other hand it didn't affect performance. So while visually disappointing, there was no functional degradation. Nevertheless, better attention to detail should be able to prevent that from happening.
If by "weak" you mean lack of effective directional control, that's not a rudder issue, but slack rudder lines that need to be tightened. IMO, the rudder's directional control and turning ability is excellent when properly adjusted.
All in all, I think the rudder design/function is one of the best features of the Compass -- excellent rudder authority, durable and light.
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Will be adding the Power-Pole Micro anchor as well. Except for the hatch moves, I will be fishing out of it on Sunday. Waiting on template material before doing the hatches.
