Jibetech Offers Double Rudder Option

The only Snipe builder in the U.S. is renowned for the quality and shape of their rudders, and now owner Andrew Pimental has figured out a way to sell twice as many. All his new models will offer a second rudder as a required “option.”

“We stole the idea from all those fast offshore boats,” he explains, adding that he has ordered twice as many pintles and gudgeons for when demand doubles as expected. “When you heel over, you really want the rudder to be straight up and down. It’s the perfect upgrade for older or wiser sailors who don’t want to hike anymore.”

On offshore boats, of course, the windward rudder kicks up to reduce drag. Pimental says the next iteration will solve that problem too. “I’ve got an old Laser rudder I’m gonna try on my new boat, since I don’t want to build a fresh mold until I get a few orders. The top half of the rudder head stays parallel to the transom, so there’s no need to change the rules. I’ve only gone sailing twice but it seems pretty fast, as long as I remember to put the leeward rudder down again after a tack.”

Rumors that Pimental and crew Megan Place will miss the DonQ in order to refine a wireless rudder lifter could not be verified by press time.