I will be taking detailed pictures of the rudder today and will have them developed this weekend.

It was really not that hard to build. I designed it so the pivot point of the rudder would be in the middle from front to rear when down for ease of control. The blade was made of 3/4 x 1/4 cedar strips with spruce strips at the bottom. The top has an additional layer of spruce under the pulleys for strength and width. The pulleys themselves are 4" PVC sections 1/4" wide and then capped with a disc of sheet PVC (3mm). The bracket that the rudder sits in is made of two layers of sheet PVC (3mm) and the fiberglassed (6 oz) and painted. The brackets on the transom are 1/8" thick aluminum L brackets that are screwed in to the oak backing plate and then epoxied in place. All rudder pivot points are aluminum collars with aluminum "axles" that I machined. One end of the axle is enlarged and knurled and the other end is drilled for a cotter type pin. Both the axle pins are drilled on the knurled end for a lanyard that secures it to the hull/rudder bracket and the cotter type pins have a lanyard to the hull/rudder bracket as well. The lanyard attachment points are oak pieces.

I used standard foot pedals which slide in tracks and stainless steel wire goes from the pedal slides to the rudder bracket. At each end of the wire is a wire fairlead and a wire crimp. The wire wrapped fairlead attaches to a stainless chain detachable link (D ring?) and the D ring goes through an aluminum bushing in the rudder bracket.

The truck rack will be made of aluminum square tubing. I designed it to tie into the tonneau cover rails yet be easily removable. Basically it is like two goal posts, one at each end of the bed and they are supported front to rear with diagonal supports going to the same side middle. The tops are made of two pieces, one each side. These horizontal pieces are rigidly attached to vertical pieces that slide over the top of the vertical corner posts. The horizontal pieces front and rear are actually two pieces that slide together to form the pieces that span side to side front and rear. Confusing...Yes. Pictures to follow when done...Yes indeed. If done right, it can be removed and stowed in the truck cab behind the seat.

Brian Barnett Orlando, Florida