Tag: Hydrovane

Hey! Where’s our rudder?

One of the big differences between Earendil and Shearwater is the rudder design.  A Valiant 32 has a skeg-hung rudder, while a J/120 has a semi-balanced spade rudder.  From a sailing and performance perspective, the semi-balanced spade rudder wins every time.  There is less drag due to the smaller surface area (no skeg) and lower