John,
After you had sailed for a bit with the new Foss rudder would you say that it was definitely worth while change?
I would definitely say it was worth the change.
As much as I tried to maximize sail trim with the original rudder installed, I always had to man the helm to provide correction from normal steering fluctuations, even in light wind, or the boat eventually veer wildly off course With the new rudder, I can sail up to about 15 knots without touching the helm, and while the boat's direction fluctuates, it always resolves back to where it should be. When sailing in stiffer conditions, I need to man the helm, but it is not nearly as much work as it was sailing in the same conditions with the old rudder. I still strive to achieve the best trim possible, with proper tension on the foot and luff, headstay tension, etc depending on wind conditions.
I feel the upgrade is awesome, and will result in less wear and tear on the helmsman as well as the ST4000+ autopilot.
I did not send the old rudder back - I just purchased a new one. Foss has all the specs since they built all the original rudders (The 'new' E29 rudder design they offer is based on the Cal 40 rudder shape). I'm keeping my old one as backup in case the new one gets damaged.
Getting the old one off was not that difficult - but removing the quadrant was. I had to use an angled die grinder to cut the old quadrant in Half (replaced it with a new Edson Bronze unit). I had to dig a hole in the ground to provide enough clearance to get the rudder out, and once the quadrant was off, it slid right out. Getting it in and out is a little cumbersome, but overall very acheivable with one person.
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