Rudder Mounting

These photos are of the installation of the upper rudder hinge pin, which gets epoxied, and also bolted, to the dark fiberglass surface at the rear of the vertical fin.The jig seen here fits into the same holes at the bottom as the rudder will, and holds the upper hinge pin in the proper location for bonding and bolting.

Paul Kuntz in Washington state, a fellow Sinus-builder, lent me his jig. This saved me a day or two, and a trip to the hardware store to buy material and parts. One of the parts I'm sure I would have had to search all over Denver for. That's the small, cylindrical part on top with the set screw attaching it to the actual hinge pin that's being mounted.

The bottom of the jig mounts to the bracket that the rudder will mount to. I created two depressions in the bottom of the rudder so that the heads of two bolts can fit there.

The bungee cords hold the top of the jig, and the rudder hinge pin, in place while the epoxy hardens. After that, the bolts are installed. The first time I did this, Patty and I were trying to get it disassembled and the hinge pin got knocked off. Next time, I was more careful to keep it in place, drilling holes and installing the bolts quickly.