Hello Gary, The rudder on my M17 is a clone of the original, it's made of white oak. It is heavier than the stock mahogany, and I have cut it below the lowest gudgeon to hinge upward. Stainless steel cheek plates hold the two sections together. The pivot point bolt is kept loose, and the lower section is held forward by a lanyard which feeds to the quick release jam cleat. It works great. Theo wrote a review on the whole project in the last issue of the Montgomery News Letter, which I believe can be found in the archives. There are pictures as well. I didn't know a release cleat existed until I saw the Ida Sailor design. I already had the rudder made, so I ordered a cleat and added it with the control line. Definitely a must for cruising shallow, rocky areas (like the North Channel).
We have lots of pictures to share from that trip. Later, Bones _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
