I use the star knob, because you can adjust the tension.  You can make it tight enough to stay down under normal conditions, but loose enough to ride up if it hits something.  It takes a little finesse to adjust it under way, but I’ve never had a problem doing it.

It doesn’t come with the kit.  I bought mine at the big box store.  It will corrode fast, but at $4.00, I figure it is disposable.  One/season wouldn’t be too bad.              

                  I also have the line set up as per the directions, minus the jam cleat which was somehow missing from my hardware package.  

Hooper

���The skerry is so light if you ground with the line in a cleat you pretty much just stop. Now I haven't done that against rock just mud and sand. If I pop the line out of the cleat the rudder usually just pivots up. That said, to raise it before dragging requires me to reach over the stern and swing it up by hand. Can be awkward. I've been meaning to look at adding an uphaul. There is enough friction to hold it but I don't want the drag of a star knob down there in the water so I just adjusted the pivot bolt to taste. I made a bushing from stainless tubing that the bolt fits in closely. That way the threads don't chew on the plywood and the carefully sized length of the bushing allows a little pressure on the rudder cheeks to give friction but prevent overtightening that might crack the wood.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/product-p/sd-002570-parent.htm

Laszlo

The auto-release camcleat and  of coarse:Christine de Merchant! https://www.christinedemerchant.com/rudder.html   (scroll down).

Ruud

   Thanks Hooper,  Mummichog, Laszlo and Ruud.  All good sugestions.  I think I will go with the duckworks auto release on the downhaul.  I enjoyed reading Christine de Merchant's blog and may try her uphaul idea.  Mummichog, where did you find stainless tubing?

���I manage an engineering test department so I know where we hide all the surplus material! But when I need more than just a little scrap, I use McMaster-carr, www.mcmaster.com, industrial supply. Great for all kinds of stuff and they were doing fast order delivery before Amazon was a gleam in Jeff Besos eye.