My 1976 E23 MK II has a montrous slab of mahogony (sp?) for a rudder. Last Saturday as I was enjoying a 10 knot breeze, sailing at about 4.5 knots I had to raise my voice to be heard over the noise of the water going around my transom hung rudder. The boat balances very well, so I was not dragging it sideways through the water or anything. It was so loud that I thought I had left the outboard down.
As I was watching it over the transom, I noticed that it has a very blunt leading edge and the water would build up around this. I realize that a well rounded leading edge and fat cross section helps with stalling at slow speeds, but was wondering if I would notice any difference if I shaped the leading edge a bit to promote more laminar flow and less noise (turbulance)?
Any experience or ideas out there? Thanks.
As I was watching it over the transom, I noticed that it has a very blunt leading edge and the water would build up around this. I realize that a well rounded leading edge and fat cross section helps with stalling at slow speeds, but was wondering if I would notice any difference if I shaped the leading edge a bit to promote more laminar flow and less noise (turbulance)?
Any experience or ideas out there? Thanks.