Mk III Rudder 

This page is provided as a resource for those who are replacing a rudder. People who have replaced Mk I and Mk II rudders have opted for a Mk III style, so only this type is covered. The newer form, because it provides a better balance of area fore and aft the pivot, offers more manageable levels of effort for a given amount of weather helm, better control in reverse and less risk of damage when reversing toward a wall. For a look at one owner's solution, see Hyperion's new rudder.

For an alternative solution, using CNC-cut and glassed structural foam over the shaft, see Gougeon Brothers' Epoxyworks magazine #22 (published March, 2004). The CNC source listed in Epoxyworks has morphed into a luxury powerboat builder and so may not be interested in making rudders. A Web directory called BoatDesignNet lists a number of CNC sources. Phil's Foils is a well-regarded Canadian foil-making specialty shop that uses CNC equipment and has drawings for the Mk III and Mk V rudder that they can supply to any level of finish from shaped foam or wood for home finishing to ready-to-launch complete rudders (the finished rudders are nicely finished and lighter than the originals). One experience of replacing a rudder with a Phil's Foils product is given in A New Rudder. Another supplier is Foss Foam Products, a specialty rudder-builder in Florida that has been in business for 35 years.