[C320-list] Rudder Issues

[Doug Treff]

And DO ask the yard before you go digging holes. They may want to make other arrangements.

--
Doug Treff
doug at treff.us

On Fri, Aug 9, 2019, at 9:31 AM, Ted Harrison wrote:
> Joe, I watch someone do this work on a Cs. 
> 
> Make sure you have the height to drop the rudder or can dig a hole deep enough. 
> 
> Not sure of the distance from bottom of rudder to ground clearance you need. 
> 
> Ted Harrison
> 
> > On Aug 9, 2019, at 9:12 AM, Joe Geiger <joe.geiger at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > Thanks for the info Chris. 
> > 
> > We just noticed it on this trip so I don’t think it’s been going on for too long. 
> > 
> > I guess I’ll wait until we haul her for the season in few weeks to fix it proper. I try the milk jug trick in the mean time. 
> > 
> > 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
>