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When using the bungee hold-down rudder lines mod, I recommend you get a few stainless steel "hog rings" which are clips that you crimp around the bungees like cable clamps, to fasten a loop in the end that goes thru the rudder at the bottom. Knots in the bungee cord do not hold very well, and make a large blob on the side of the rudder. There is not alot of distance clearance between the rudder and fairlead on the transom, so there is no room for a shackle and you have to put a fastener or knot anyway, so I do recommend the hog rings. Just pass the bungee cord end thru the rudder hole, and then back along the bungee, place two hog rings per rudder. West Marine will show you how this looks if you have not seen them, but actually most made up bungee cords with hooks on the ends are factory made with hog rings inside the wound ends of the hooks, so you can check them out that way.

The bungee tension can be stretched a bit to provide complete hold-down pressure on the rudders for any sailing purposes, but allow mud, rocks, logs, etc. to kick them up. Sailing control will be restored as soon as is possible, as opposed to a cleat that completely releases the rudder. If you clear the mud or sand bar, or whatever kicks the rudders up, and are then sailing clear again, but your rudders are not reset, you are likely to break them, and steering forces are going to be hard to control. IF motoring slow, you have to be careful not to allow the rudders get afoul of the prop when they are dangling backwards and swinging wide.

I put jam cleats on my rudder haul-down lines which let me quickly deploy the rudders on harbour stations, without having to cleat them off. My rudder cleats are usually hidden under my bimini in harbour. The jam cleats are fine at low speed up to 6-7kts cruise speed - once I am clear of traffic the crew cleats them off on the horn cleats. I think I put pix in Modifications last year??

On edit: clarified jam vs horn cleats

TexasDan40 wrote:Alx357... I like the bungie idea. Will definately make that mod.

PaulS...I just finished reading your mod. I like it. May be a little complicated for me. There was another simple design I think I'll try:

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/index.php?view=872


Thank you both for responding.
Tex

Tex,
The mod isn't as complicated as it appears. I used Paul's mod on my boat,and it was pretty clear once you start installing it.

KayakDan wrote:

TexasDan40 wrote:Alx357... I like the bungie idea. Will definately make that mod.

PaulS...I just finished reading your mod. I like it. May be a little complicated for me. There was another simple design I think I'll try:

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/index.php?view=872


Thank you both for responding.
Tex

Tex,
The mod isn't as complicated as it appears. I used Paul's mod on my boat,and it was pretty clear once you start installing it.

Have you had a chance to try it yet? I know our season was incredibly short

Paul S wrote:[quote="KayakDan
Have you had a chance to try it yet? I know our season was incredibly short

[/quote]

Not yet. I'm going down to pickup my boat today...just got a new Tohatsu 50HP installed

Haven't used the rudders yet,as the last two weekends were a washout. I will try them on Winnie,when I swap off the old trailer,onto the new one.

KayakDan wrote:Haven't used the rudders yet,as the last two weekends were a washout. I will try them on Winnie,when I swap off the old trailer,onto the new one.

Cool, you will like it. Did you put a line stopper on the line going to the rudder on the outside of the boat? If not, the line will just all go into the water and be a prop hazard. I just wrapped some rigging tape on the line and rolled it into a ball.

We have the stearn rail seats on our 07 M and have added 2 cam cleats with fairleads to each side of the boat, one to hold the rudders down attached to the boat and one mountained upside down attached to the stearn rail seat to hold the rudder up. There very quick and convenient and if you don't have to hold them up to cleat the line off we find no need to add extra pullys and the extra line can be snuggd up easily away from the prop and floatsome.

Things are changed a bit now, for the rudder hold-down lines, I have removed the racing jam cleats that can release if pulled very hard ... on the inside transom surfaces, because they were no longer used after I installed the bungee hold-downs lines and their zig-zag cleats ... SO, the zig-zag cleats are now moved to where the old racing jam cleats, on the two transom side-facing walls, while the original cleats are still in place for the lifting lines. The bungee cords have hog-ring fastened eyes in their running ends, and the ends of the lifting lines are bowline tied to the bungees, making the same sort of circle arrangement as comes factory stock, but not all the same line. One end of the lifting line each side is bowline tied thru the cleat, and then the running end passes down thru the pulley shackled to the rudder, and then back up and thru the bridge of the cleat, and then over to attachment to the hold-down bungee's end eye.
Note that early on when this photo was taken, I had left the rudder lines long, and that is why there is a big knot tying up the excess length near the pulley. Later, presently I shortened the line to only what was necessary for the rig as it is, and there is no more the excess line you see in the photo. The current set-up works for me, never has a loose or free end to get dropped overboard, and is always trapped there in easy reach for either lifting or lowering and cleating so, or bungee cleating down and releasing.

The pole clamped there is mainly for lifting and closing the ballast gate valve, standard set-up, without alot of complicated linkage, just ground off the pointed tip of a boat pole, modified it so it was short enough to not stick up above the transom, and use the hook for raising, and the flat end for pushing the handle back down. I learned this simple solution from another boat owner, in the Chesapeake. Never have to lift the helm seat or bend down, and can be operated at full motoring speed. ( Together with the passive vent valve mod, this makes ballast management a breeze. )

That eye on the back of the transom seat, on both port and starboard, is for pinning the companionway cover hasp, keeping the "pizza board" back there in the transom deck behind the helm seat, for out-of-the-way sowage and for noise abatement when motoring, plus keeping my Merc stink-pot fumes from wafting back into the cockpit down there, and retaining stuff that might otherwise blow out the back of the cockpit into the wake. I have a clear plexiglass ( acrylic ) two-piece cover for the companionway if needed when the original cover is in use behind the helm seat.

You might (not) have noticed the hinge on the helm seat, moved to the starboard side, being easier to lift the transom seat from the port side, and so there is a direct line of entry from the transom ladder, past the motor, without having to dodge the edge of the helm seat or cross behind the pedestal, which also has the motor controls partially constricting the starboard side of the cockpit, as it was when the seat was hinged on the port side, and on to the cabin in a straight shot.