i550class.org

has/is anyone built their rudder from the plan set out of wood, has there been any issues with it performance wise or structurally?.

Some rudder discussion here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66

I think both Ron Bowman and Kevin started with basically solid wood rudders. I know Kevin has changed to a composite, not sure about Ron.
Solid wood can work, just choose a moderate density wood (fir, mahogany or similar), don't get too aggressive with the section (say, a 10" chord with a 63013a shape), and make sure your tiller is grabbing the entire top of the blade, not just the front couple inches.

.mine sarted with a blade 1'wide x3' below hull ,,,was definitely too short.

...there seems to be a reasonable consensus on 3'9'' for length,,~10'' wide

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=245&p=3536#p3536

My first rudder was made of wood. Hand cut to a pretty rough narca 0012 profile and heavy as all get out due to the core choice I made.

My second rudder as made with a foam core and carbon laminate skin to the plans shown in this blog post. http://pipedream.esquak.com/2010/12/rudder-2-step-1-plan-and-cores.html

I think this general size has proven out to work pretty well. Chad's is a similar length and chord as is Jon's. The key to rudder success though, is exactly what Chad mentioned. The tiller to rudder connection has to be solid. Chad's fits on the entire top of his rudder. Jon and I have cassettes, mine is way over kill. If you go too aggressive with your profile you will stall out at low speed, and that can really suck.

Cheers, Kevin.