[Public-List] More Rudder Talk

[George Dinwiddie]

Welcome to the discussion, Chris, and congratulations on the boat.

Chris Martin wrote:
> It seems rudders are all the rage of late, hopefully I can learn a
> little from this discussion.
> 
> I finally found a boat and one issue is the rudder has some play at
> the shoe at the keel. From the website I found a description of the
> shoe and it's function. What isnt clear is the repair procedure for a
> sloppy rudder. Do I need to remove the rudder from the boat or just
> the shoe? My first thought it to make/find a bushing to make up the
> play. Is this a bad idea?

First, take the shoe off so you can determine /why/ you have the play. 
It could be a worn shoe, a worn pin, or both.

If it's the shoe, then putting in a bushing seems like a reasonable 
approach.  More likely it's the pin, in my experience.  If the pin can 
be unscrewed, then it's easy to make a new one from a 1/2" bronze bolt. 
  If not, the best thing is to drill and tap & then make a new pin from 
a 1/2" bronze bolt.  The drilling & tapping will be easiest if you 
remove the rudder from the boat.  I presume that 
http://alberg30.org/maintenance/Steering/RudderShoe/ is the page you 
consulted.

> If I have to remove the rudder I will need some help. I was expecting
> the gudgeon to be held on with bolts or screws, but it appears to be
> fastened with rivets instead. Does this make sense? I'd rather not
> remove it unless absolutely required, but if I need to should drill
> the rivets and replace with bolts?

I've never heard of them being riveted.  More likely, the heads of the 
screws have corroded.

> It's hard to explain how excited I am about this boat. Hopefully I
> can finally join the group officially and start attending some events
> in 2010.

Looking forward to it.  Where are you located?

  - George


-- 
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   When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
   I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
   So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
   So many I love were not yet born.                          also see:
                'The Middle' by Ogden Nash     http://idiacomputing.com
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