[C320-list] Rudder Issues

[Joe Geiger]

Joe
--
Joe Geiger
Vega #722
Greenwich Cove, RI

> On Aug 8, 2019, at 3:50 PM, Chris Burti <clburti at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The was a common issue with the old Cal's, most of which were over 30 years
> old. When we owned our Cal 27-T/2, I was active on the Cal owner's list and
> the consensus of that list was that  your first example was best and the
> third was acceptable and to avoid the second.
> 
> The first method is the correct way to make the repair, the third was a
> workable patch which I actually used. The problem for me was that the
> plastic wore out or slipped down and you had to repeat the patch after a
> fairly short time. No big deal, but annoying.
> 
> The problem with the second option is that if the rudder post wear has been
> going on long enough, there is a very good chance that the rudder post has
> worn into an oval not just a smaller round as it rotates back and forth,
> not around and around. As a result, if you inject epoxy, it makes it very
> difficult to turn the rudder because you have an oval post in what has now
> become a close fitting oval tube. Second point is that you will actually
> need to remove the rudder from the tube because you will have to wax the
> rudder post or the epoxy will bond the rudder post to the tube.
> 
> Some of the Cal owners would drop their rudder while in the water because
> if they weren't waterlogged, they were semi-buoyant. I do recall one
> skipper's tale of neglecting to tie off the rudder while doing a solo drop
> whereupon it sank  and drifted off down river in the current...
> 
> 
> Chris Burti
> Commitment #867
> Farmville, NC
> 
> 
> 
>> On Thu, Aug 8, 2019 at 1:25 PM Joe Geiger <joe.geiger at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I found 3 solutions for repairing my rudder thud. Seems like this is a
>> common problem that most sailboats have that use a rudder post to attach
>> the rudder to the boat as opposed to a pintle and gudgeon attachment off
>> the transom.
>> 
>> The first are 2 rubber bushings that you slide over the rudder post down
>> into the fiberglass rudder tube that keeps the rudder post centered. This
>> looks like it requires the boat to be hauled and the rudder to be removed
>> so the bushings can be slid down from the top of the post.
>> 
>> The second is an epoxy kit that has you drill 3 holes in the fiberglass
>> rudder tube and then use a syringe to push epoxy into the rudder tube.
>> Looks like this can be done with the boat still in the water.
>> 
>> The third is a suggestion I read from another forum where you cut pieces
>> of plastic milk jug and slide them down the tube to keep the rudder from
>> moving in the tube. This can also be done with the boat in the water
>> 
>> Has anyone else done any of these?
>> 
>> Joe
>> --
>> Joe Geiger
>> Vega #722
>> Greenwich Cove, RI