Dropping rudder yamaha 33

Jun 11, 2016
6
Yamaha 33, tall rig Victoria, BC
Anyone here try to drop the rudder on a yamaha 33? If so id like to know what your experience was with it. Did you notice any weaknesses or damage when you did it?

I plan to use it as an offshore boat but im curious to know if the rudder is strong enough.
 
Nov 30, 2005
2
- - Adelaide
Rudder removal is easy (tiller). Remove the plastic block on the front of the rudder just below the bottom bracket. 2 screws but hidden under sealant. Support the rudder, remove the tiller and top clamp then remove the screws that hold the bottom bearing. The rudder will be fairly heavy as it is likely full of water. The rudder stock is very strong. Overdesigned by comparison to other similar sized yachts. I cannot stop my rudder filling with water so I just live with that. The lower bearing in the hull is bronze and though it doesn't wear is a little sloppy. The bottom bearing is just a stainless tube that fits inside the rudder stock. This can be a loose fit and allow for a bit of lateral movement but if you fit a fibre bearing inside it you can remove all slop from the bearings. The rudder is very strong and certainly capable of off shore sailing. As I said they do fill with water and the foam inside gets water logged. I cut mine open and replaced the foam then reglassed the whole rudder (under the boot top line) with rovings and epoxy. Tried everything to seal the rudder but find it still fills up with water probably from the joint between the fibreglass and rudder stock. Hope this has been of some help.