How to Connect to and Lengthen a Rudder

Disassemble Existing Rudder

• 1

  Remove the tiller from the existing rudder.

• 2

  Remove the rudder.

• 3

  Remove the pintles from the rudder. Save the hardware used to attach the pintles.

Make an Upper Rudder Blank

• 4

  Place the boards on a work table in the form of a rectangle. Mark both boards where they meet, 1 inch from each end. Mark along the entire board, about 4 inches apart.

• 5

  Use a 17/32-inch drill bit and the electric drill to make aligned holes into the sides of the boards where the boards have been marked. Drill the holes 3 1/8-inches deep. Be sure the holes are in alignment.

• 6

  Make additional holes up and down the sides, 5 or 6 inches apart.

• 7

  Use the jig saw to cut the dowels into 6-inch pieces. Put marine glue into the holes of the first board. Use the hammer to drive the dowels all the way down into the holes on the side of the board.

• 8

  Place the board on its end with the glued dowels facing up. Have your helper hold it or use a clamp or vise. Put marine glue on the edge of the board and the exposed dowels. Drive the second board onto the dowels with a hammer, working the board gradually down onto the first board. Tap the edge of the board, slowly bringing the boards tightly together. Clean up any oozing glue with a moistened rag. If there are other boards, repeat until all are joined in the same manner. This becomes your upper rudder blank.

Attach and Shape the Upper Rudder Blank

• 9

  Use the hand-held electric jig saw to trim the top of the rudder off to eliminate any rounded edge. If the top of the rudder was squared off, eliminate this step.

• 10

  Use the hand-held electric drill and a 17/32-inch drill bit to make matching holes in the sides of the top edge of the existing rudder and the bottom edge of the upper rudder blank to form a dowel joint as you did in steps 2 through 4 of Section 2.

• 11

  Use the hammer, dowels and marine quality glue to attach the upper rudder blank to the existing rudder with a dowel joint using the method described in Step 5 of Section 2.

Shape the Extended Rudder

• 12

  Use the marker to continue the outline of the existing rudder upward, onto and through the top of the upper rudder blank.

• 13

  Use the hand-held electric jig saw to trim the upper rudder blank following the marks you made.

• 14

  Use the carpenter's plane to rough-in the shape of the upper rudder blank and the upper part of the existing rudder to blend into the part of the existing rudder that will be above the water.

• 15

  Use the carpenter's plane to rough in the shape of the upper rudder blank and the upper part of the existing rudder to blend into the part of the existing rudder that will be below the water.

• 16

  Repeat steps 3 and 4 of this section with the hand-held belt sander, gradually reducing grit roughness. Fair in the upper part of the existing rudder and upper rudder blank, blending into and duplicating the shape of the existing rudder.

Finish the Extended Rudder

• 17

  Use the razor knife to cut the sheets of assorted sandpaper into strips which fit easily into your hands. Continue to sand the upper rudder bland and the upper part of the existing rudder until you are satisfied with the shape. This is your new extended rudder.

• 18

  Lightly sand the extended rudder by hand. Clean with a moist rag. Let dry and paint with the varnish or quality marine-grade paint.

• 19

  Use the measuring tape to locate where the pintles will be attached to the extended rudder.

• 20

  Reattach the pintles to the new rudder using the screwdriver and wrenches.

• 21

  Hang the new rudder in position and reattach the tiller.