Troubling, about those double standards, and a good question...
I've been thinking a lot about rudders of late... And yes, that's plural. Of course, everyone knows that CAL 34's only have one rudder...
The thing is "So It Goes", to a great extent, quit being a CAL 34 some time ago so the ongoing process of experimentation and using the boat as something of a test bed means I can pretty much do what I want to. Plus trying new stuff out is all sorts of fun.
Fun, obviously, being the name of the game!
The main idea of going with two rudders is it gives a few advantages as it allows me to integrate the self-steering system, replaces a rudder that is more than past its sell-by-date, and moves the steering position back to a place of better visibility for folks who don't happen to be 6'5"... Got to keep the vertically challenged crew happy!
The downside, of course, for two transom mounted rudders is the rudders require hardware in the form of gudgeons and pintles. Have you taken a look at the silly pricing these days on marine hardware of this ilk?
YOWZA!
Moderate quality Schaefer gudgeons are over $100 a pop and I'd need eight... OUCH!
This system has been in constant use since the early 80's on the Tiki and Pahi Wharram designs as well as being retrofitted to many existing boats and older designs.
It works... In fact, I've only heard of a couple of complaints in the last thirty years and never ever a report of a failure.
For those interested in how to build the lashing system there is a great step-by-step explanation over on Scott Williams Tiki 26 site which has a lot of excellent info for folks building or rehabbing a boat (cat or mono) and well worth the read.
So, what to do... Spend nearly a thousand dollars on hardware or less than $50?
Listening to Free
So it goes...
