Do I need a skeg?

NewDay#16 · **Joined:** 12 Oct 2007 11:01 **Posts:** 35

I replaced my rudder on New Day last winter and this summer realized there is no skeg (please, no observations on my belated observation). Not sure if the PO took it off or if the rudder replacement guys left it off. So, do I need one?
Other posts say:
* Their fairing strips can impede the rudder at the extreme stops,
* There seems to be no speed gain whether present or not,
* They seem to be sacrificial for the rudder in minor groundings
* Bolt-ons are available from Tartan so may be easy to add but they make future rudder repairs difficult.

Should I bother adding a skeg while on the hard this winter?

jvoelxen · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 15:36 **Posts:** 268

Well, I just had my skeg ripped off by a lobster pot buoy two weeks ago while cruising in Maine. I plan on replacing it when I get the boat hauled this fall. I haven't noticed any performance difference, but what I did find was the skeg does effectively divert the prop wash from the bottom of the rudder post. Without the skeg when I power at 2000 rpm or greater, the pressure caused by the prop wash will force water up the inside of the rudder post and over flow into the bilge flowing over the steering quadrant. To prevent this, I've got the rudder post capped. This didn't happen with the skeg.

NAM · **Joined:** 22 Jun 2008 10:54 **Posts:** 85

I too have lost the skeg last winter on the way back from bahamas over the gulf stream. Twas a rough trip. I do notice now a significant wobble of the wheel from the propwash.
It looks like there is going to be a run on skegs this winter.

Velera · **Joined:** 29 Dec 2006 09:38 **Posts:** 656

I have heard rumors that the boat is much faster without the skeg. Is that anyone's experience?

chrisbedwards · **Posted:** 13 Sep 2014 08:55

jvoelxen wrote:

Well, I just had my skeg ripped off by a lobster pot buoy two weeks ago while cruising in Maine. I plan on replacing it when I get the boat hauled this fall. I haven't noticed any performance difference, but what I did find was the skeg does effectively divert the prop wash from the bottom of the rudder post. Without the skeg when I power at 2000 rpm or greater, the pressure caused by the prop wash will force water up the inside of the rudder post and over flow into the bilge flowing over the steering quadrant. To prevent this, I've got the rudder post capped. This didn't happen with the skeg.

NewDay#16 · **Joined:** 12 Oct 2007 11:01 **Posts:** 35

On another forum someone alluded that without a skeg Northeast sailors will be subject to much greater risk of getting the rudder hung up on a lobster pot line. The skeg will keep the line from fouling between the top of the rudder and the keel.

So how do boats with spade rudders fare?

NAM · **Joined:** 22 Jun 2008 10:54 **Posts:** 85

Winter in here and getting over so it is time to replace the skeg. I just got the replacement skeg from Tartan and it does not look (as I remember it) like my old one. It is somewhat narrower and longer at the hull junction. The vertical section where it mates with the rudder is narrower than the rudder as well. It will take major surgery to fit.

My hull is number 31 and it is a Carolina boat. The original skeg was held on by the pintle. Attached is a photo of the skeg I got from Tartan.
Has anyone done this replacement and can supply some advice.
The answer the question do I need the skeg, I do most emphatically. In the short time that I have been without it I have snagged 3 crab pots all during strong blows where seeing an approaching pot is nearly impossible. All have lodged in the pintle notch in the rudder. I have SAILED through many a field of crab pots with out snagging a one when the skeg was present.

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

Neal,
It looks like you have a basic shell for the skeg that will need some adjusting. For instance, the fairing flaps that close the vertical gap between the skeg and the leading edge of the rudder need to be feathered quite a bit to fit properly. I also have a Carolina boat, hull 59, and rebuilt my rudder a few years back and I have a photo that shows the top of the skeg as I am bolting the assembly back together. It shows the top of these fairing flaps and how they transition at the top of the skeg.

Attachment:

rudder project 001.jpg [ 1.44 MB | Viewed 0 times ]

Tom

jvoelxen · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 15:36 **Posts:** 268

Neal-

My boat is hull #191, and was also made in Carolina. But my boats previous owner damaged the rudder and had it replaced prior to my purchase. You mentioned you have a pintle slot in your rudder. I don't think that slot came with the original rudders, particularly our vintage. I've posted a picture of my rudder, which shows the that same slot and the remnants of my skeg. Without a skeg, and with that slot you're almost guaranteed to snag anything..... another reason a skeg is highly recommended.

I bought my new skeg from Tartan last Fall and it looks just like yours. At that time I removed my pintle and the remnants of my skeg, and found that the skeg didn't fit like a glove like I had hoped. The vertical slot that overlaps the rudder appeared to be slightly narrower, and the mounting flange at the top of the skeg was much narrower than the flange surface on the hull. That didn't surprise me at all because the previous year I had to remove the skeg to repair the pintle. The boat yard that replaced the rudder for the previous owner did a horrible job, and many things were done wrong. The least serious issue was that the skeg hadn't been attached correctly, the fit-up was poor, and all was hidden by a lot a fairing compound.

I did a dry fit-up of the skeg to the hull last fall with the pintle removed. I held the skeg in place with a floor jack. When I was happy with the a fit-up, I took a can of black spray paint and sprayed the bolt holes from inside the boat, which left 4 nice black circles where the pintle bolt holes need to drilled on the skeg mounting flange. The bolts are 1/2". I can't recall exactly the size of the holes I drilled but they

Attachment:

2014-07-25 11.59.11 - Copy.jpg [ 1.65 MB | Viewed 0 times ]

were probably 3/4" or 7/8" to allow some play during final fit-up.

After the skeg is installed, I'll do my final fairing. It'll need a lot of filler, but it's not structural, just aesthetic.

Hope this helps.

NAM · **Joined:** 22 Jun 2008 10:54 **Posts:** 85

Jim,

Pre-Dry fit did you have to do any surgery on the skeg to get the hull stub plate to match the top surface of the skeg?? Also, in the case of my boat the aft facing opening of the skeg is significantly narrower than the forward edge of the rudder.

Tartan37.com

Do I need a skeg?

Who is online