Sorry about missing the photo. For some reason, my spam filter put it in the junk folder. I don't remember seeing that on the M15's. Something I missed. Certainly not a stock item to be found everywhere. The pintle / gudgeon arrangement I'm working with is more like that found on the M17, except I'm using 1/2" stainless bolts instead of the rudder pin, and also, mine is going to kick up like the M15 does. I've always been intrigued by the lifting design of the M15 rudder. Never have understood how it worked. The other design change that most folks do not appear to have trouble with is the pivoting or kick up rudders. All the side leverage exerted on the rudder transfers to the rudder box and on to the transom to steer the boat. We have come a long way from full keel rudders that had to attach at several places along the keel to be deemed strong enough, to spade rudders and now to these kickup rudders. You would not think them strong enough to take on all that leverage and torque, but apparently, they are. On Jan 10, 2015, at 11:01 AM, Tyler Backman wrote:
There was a photo in my first e-mail, yesterday. The pintle has a machined groove, and there is a piece of spring stainless on the transom that locks into the groove when the rudder is seated, to keep it from popping out.
If you're making custom pintles and gudgeons you could probably get a groove like this machined into the pintle, and add a stainless lock spring of some kind to the gudgeon.
Tyler Davis, CA M15 #157 "Defiant"
On Jan 10, 2015, at 8:54 AM, Howard Audsley wrote:
Does someone have a picture or link to pictures of these pintles? I've seen them, but it has been a while. I don't remember them being anything more than a stock item.
I ask as I'm currently working on another project that is going to require some custom pintles and gudgeons and if I'm missing something, I'd like to know.
On Jan 10, 2015, at 10:32 AM, Tyler Backman wrote:
Jerry,
It's a shame nobody is manufacturing his inventions anymore, this is a great pintle design.
It seems unlikely to me that the pintle could have failed during actual operation- maybe it was damaged in storage by the previous owner. The specs on this pintle you used on a 15' boat are comparable to those used on the O'day 26 and many other boats with 5-10x the displacement. My Catalina 22 has a much smaller pintle and the forces on the tiller are an order of magnitude greater.
Tyler Davis, CA M15 #157 "Defiant"
On Jan 9, 2015, at 11:54 AM, <jerry@jerrymontgomery.org> <jerry@jerrymontgomery.org> wrote:
Tyler- Kurt retired at least 20 years ago and I haven't had any contact for years. A good guy and a very smart engineer, as you would expect for a German. Wish someone was making the pintles; we'd consider using them on the upcoming Sage 15. They worked great and yours is the first one I've heard of that failed. I'm glad that RudderCraft is making something similar.
See you at Lake Pleasant.
Jerry