Corsair 28R, Sailing Manual

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Copyright © 2014 by Corsair Marine International
RUDDER
(Cruze 970 transom hung rudder being lifted up.)
The rudder has 2 control lines, one to pull up and one to pull down. These are color
coded, with red (for danger) to pull up, blue, for deep water, to pull down. The rudder
will kick back, should it hit bottom hard enough, the pull down line pulling through the
cleat.
At high speeds, the cleat alone may not be enough to hold the rudder down. In this
case, an alloy lock/shear pin can be fitted through the case and blade as a positive lock
down.
The rudder may also have an extra horn cleat on the tiller, and this should only be used
if the hold down cleat is worn, and the lock/shear pin is not available. Never use the
horn cleat where there is a danger of grounding.
DAGGERBOARD
Like the rudder, the daggerboard has 2 control lines, one to pull up (red) and one to pull
down (blue). The daggerboard will not kick back, it being designed to break off should it
ever hit bottom hard enough. This protects the daggerboard case from damage most
cases a much more expensive repair. Obviously, one should still be careful around
shallow waters, keeping alert, and the boat speed down. The daggerboard is very strong
and will only break off with an exceptionally hard grounding. Normally you can expect
the boat to come to a shuddering stop, with no damage, should you hit bottom at
speeds less than 6 knots or so. It’s then just a matter of retracting the daggerboard and
continuing on your way.
CAUTION
Event at low speeds, grounding can cause the crew to be thrown forward, and care
should be taken to prevent this, or to be prepared for it. Slow down in shallow water.
The daggerboard case itself is exceptionally strong, and is not likely to be damaged in
grounding, though this cannot be guaranteed. Even with a lost daggerboard, your
Corsair trimaran will still be sailable, and will still go to windward. In this case you should
allow her to heel as far as possible, submerging the lee float to pick up lateral area.