HOW do we FIX this?? Tight tolerances - NO room for ERROR. Bertram 31 RUDDER design.  

We have a saying. "Tight is right!" We are certainly squeezing our tolerances to gain propeller efficiency. 🤞We will find out soon enough if our efforts will pay off in performance gains!

We discussed the option of dropping a rudder and quickly decided that if we ever need to change a prop in the water, we should make it as simple as possible. The new rudders should outperform the 2nd gen oversized rudders. Thanks for contributing!

Hey Shannon! Thanks for weighing in!! The grey rudders were upgraded and oversized from the "Original Bertram Rudders". The Captain said these rudders performed perfectly and was hesitant to make any changes because they did so well. We also explored shortening the shafts but cannot be done because we have tapered couplers and not split couplers. We would have only gained a fraction of an inch and reduced our prop tip clearance. The wooden Mock-Up Rudder has more surface area than the grey rudders. And in the right places as far as I am concerned!! I will ask what type of prop puller we end up using when we get to that point! Thanks again for watching and commenting! 👍

@@vernesecustoms What diameter are your prop shafts?

@shannonr8685 1.5" AquaMet 22, what are you thinkin'?

@@vernesecustoms I was wondering if ACME puller would work for you, but I think the largest puller they offer is for 1.25 shafts. The only options I can think of at the moment require quite a bit of effort. I think the least effort is rudder re-design. If you have the capabilities, machine the hub down on the wheels, but that makes them one off's. Machine the non threaded part of the shaft tip off. Maybe a shorter shaft coupler. You seem extremely capable, and probably thought of anything I can possibly think of. You could pull the struts, machine the trailing end of the strut back, a machine shop could re-taper, and re-key the shaft. The bottom line is, rudder re-design is the best, and easiest for long term serviceability, and it doesn't hurt to have a little more rudder than you need. If I think of something magical, I will chime in. I am curious to see if someone else comes up with something. I always tend to over think, and take the hard route.

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