30ft oday broken rudder
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It is possible the rudders were made by Foss Foam in Florida and that they
can get you one for less hassle than trying to make yourself. Our boat was
damaged in a storm in 1979 and our insurance co. paid for the new rudder
from Foss Foam. I am not certain they are still making rudders but assume
so. Patrick
Thanks Patrick. I'm still learning how to work this web site. I'll call Foss Foam tomorrow for a 2nd quote oday said call rudder crafters. I get to learn how to fix the shallow shoal kick up center board after I figure out how to get the rudder post out of the rudder tube. At least I know alittle bit about this boat of I buy it. Thanks for the tipPat said:
If you have wheel steering, then you need to pull the pin out of the quadrant or radial (whichever you have), loosen up same, back off on the stuffing box packing to lossen that up and then remove the rudder head which is located under the inspection port on the helm seat. If you have a tiller, then you need to remove the rudder head where the tiller attaches and the rudder will fall out.
I would check with D&R Marine and talk to Rudy. I'm not sure where he gets his rudder blades but it would be worth your time to ask when you get prices. I bought a rudder blade for my 1986 O'Day 222 off Rudy back in the mid 1990s and he was molding them back then with a more solid substance rather than foam. I had gone through two Foss Foam rudder blades back then. After paying $160 for one of them at the O'Day factory, I needed something that would last. The rudder blade that I bought off Rudy has held up great through the years. I'm not a fan of Foss Foam. I strongly recommend that you check some other rudder manufacturers before you buy from them.
I think that this is what the manufacturer had in mind when they built these rudders and centerboards and filled them with foam. I talked to Rudy about this at his store one day and he said that this idea is ridicules. "If a rudder or a centerboard becomes un-shipped, it's going to sink to the bottom, regardless."
Does my rudder float? My rudder blade is a tip up blade and it will pop up albeit not as far up as a Foss Foam blade because it's made with a solid substance inside and not pumped with foam.
These blades were molded in two halves at the factory, glued together, and pumped with foam according to what Rudy told me. I'm not sure why they made them this way. Maybe they wanted to cut down on the weight in the stern.
I had two broken Foss Foam rudder blades down my cellar for years. I didn't know how to repair them and I didn't have the heart to throw them out. Some guys were able to repair them with some success. One of the guys in my club repaired a spade rudder on a 74 O'Day 27 he once owned. He built a new spade rudder from scratch. Then there was a Russian guy who got on this forum several years ago asking about how to repair an O'Day 32 spade rudder. The boat was in Helsinki and he was commuting from Moscow each week working on her. He too was very successful in fixing his rudder which must have got water in it and froze to the point where it burst open at the seams. It was easier for me to just shell out the money back then and have Jeff, Rudy's business partner back then, mold me one.
You asked about the centerboard replacement. If it's anything like the keel/centerboard on my 1986 O'Day 222, and I think it is, it's not too bad if you can remove the four bolts that hold the two plates at the bottom of the keel. There are also two wood screws in these plates that screw into the bottom of these two wedges that support the fiber pivot pin for your centerboard. I've done some extensive writing on this forum on how to remove the centerboard and I added many pics and sketches of it. I offer some pretty good tips on what tools to use plus various techniques that make the job easier to do.
I don't think that new centerboards come bored for the pivot pin. You will need to match up your old centerboard with the new one to spot the hole, then drill it yourself. These pics should give you a pretty good idea of how the system was put together which is very ingenious in my opinion. I will take a keel/centerboard over a drop keel any day.
Probably the toughest part of removing the board is removing the four bolts that hold the plates without breaking them. I would use an impact cordless drill like a Makita with a Phillips head bit in the adjustable chuck. Take it slow and use WD-40. I used an impact driver but I really think that the drill will give you more leverage and work a heck of a lot better than trying to pound up on an impact driver under the keel. If you have any questions on this, we'll be glad to answer them. Good Luck!
Joe
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Hi Joe- thanks a ton for those pictures. I have a 25, and we are planning on jacking the boat up to get the board out. Was wondering how it all fitted up in there. If the pin is worn, where does one get a newer one? Is it just delrin or similar?
Would an impact wrench work well to get those screws out? Do the shims jam up?
Also, I seem to have a horizontal crack in the trunk, left side, about 2-3" off the bilge bottom. It seeps slowly, or did until I put a coat of 4000 on it (was dry the rest of the summer- amazed me!) . That material in the keel is epoxy, I think, and I was wondering if you or anybody had any idea as to HOW that could crack - it's pretty thick.
Then , how could I fix it?
I'm thinking I could drill a hole in the crack area, then inject thick epoxy with a nozzled squeeze bottle. Would be working with a mirror, but I think it's doable. (might have the wife do it- she's a dental hygenist, and is used to working backwards !)
Would an impact wrench work well to get those screws out? Do the shims jam up?
Also, I seem to have a horizontal crack in the trunk, left side, about 2-3" off the bilge bottom. It seeps slowly, or did until I put a coat of 4000 on it (was dry the rest of the summer- amazed me!) . That material in the keel is epoxy, I think, and I was wondering if you or anybody had any idea as to HOW that could crack - it's pretty thick.
Then , how could I fix it?
I'm thinking I could drill a hole in the crack area, then inject thick epoxy with a nozzled squeeze bottle. Would be working with a mirror, but I think it's doable. (might have the wife do it- she's a dental hygenist, and is used to working backwards !)
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Use a bit of valve grinding compound on the screw head to get a better grip when removing difficult screws, particularily those #*+`@ philips head. Replace with torx or square head screws.
Pardon my English, I'm just now learning how to swear! LOL
Geohan
Pardon my English, I'm just now learning how to swear! LOL
Geohan
Thank you so much Joe I own a Diner in va beach (Jenros Diner) if you are ever in town I'll treat you to lunch. I've got to make a decision on buying this boat or not. It's. A lot of work but I like doing it to know the vessel a lot better.
They want 900 for it. I'm guessing I'll put 4000 in it + I need sails.
Have you ever heard of buying a boat without a title ? As a ocean going yacht just being registered with the coast Gaurd ? Or you think this is a scam ? I never really got a so called title for my jet ski but a sailboat ? Once again thanks for your help mike
They want 900 for it. I'm guessing I'll put 4000 in it + I need sails.
Have you ever heard of buying a boat without a title ? As a ocean going yacht just being registered with the coast Gaurd ? Or you think this is a scam ? I never really got a so called title for my jet ski but a sailboat ? Once again thanks for your help mike
Hi Ritdog,
It was my pleasure. I learned a lot about the inner workings of the O’Day keel/centerboard from picking Rudy’s Brain but I really have to give credit to the guy on this forum who drew that sketch of the plate/wedge, pin setup. He provided the sketch and one of the pics of the actual parts. After I viewed the sketch I could see the fog roll away and that’s when I had a better understanding of it.
Rudy at D&R Marine carries the parts to the centerboard including the fiber pin. http://www.drmarine.com/about.asp I’m not sure what that pin is made of. He gets about $9.00 for them.
When I removed my centerboard several years ago my pin was in good shape so I reinstalled it. I suppose that a pin can get worn if the owner is in the habit of leaving his centerboard down when the boat is not in use which is a bad habit, I think.
I used an impact driver to remove two stubborn bolts and it took me quite a while to remove them without breaking them. It’s hard and very tiresome trying to swing a hammer under the keel. A cordless impact drill/driver would work a whole lot better. I borrowed my son’s Makita to remove a frozen machine screw from the bottom of my mast and it worked great. You could try putting a Phillips head screwdriver on the head of the screw and adding a little heat to the shaft of the driver. Sometimes that works especially on corroded screws on an outboard where Aluminum is involved.
Rudy told me that there are two bronze plates embedded in the lead in which the bolts thread into. This is always good to keep in mind just in case you break a bolt and need to redrill it.
When you say shims I assume that you are referring to the wedges. The wedges are adhered with ordinary polysulfide adhesive caulking and you must use great care in removing them. I used a fish fillet knife and a 1” putty knife to remove them and the secret to doing it is with heat. I heated the blades with my torch and stuck them into the caulking and cut them out.
I ran two long lines over the top of the cabin and under the keel and tied them I such a way with Bowline knots on one end and a round turn with a half hitch on the other and was able to let the lines off while laying under the keel. I also used a short piece of strapping with a “V” notch at one end to hold the centerboard from the ground. After you clean all the caulking from the slots there’s nothing to prevent that board and pin from falling out of there and I needed to hold it with something.
That crack way up in the keel slot is puzzling. Could the pendant line shackle have caused this damage? Maybe the shackle got caught in the keel slot restricting the board from going all the way up and when the keel was placed on blocks something had to give. I had my pendant line shackle get caught in the keel slot one day and it just bent the shackle out of shape.
One of my friends has been using that new West System Six 10 Epoxy on his O’Day 30 and he swears by it. He used it to fill a gap in his keel. A regular caulking gun is used and there’s no mixing involved. The only problem is getting the epoxy up inside the 13” keel slot. Perhaps a small diameter vinyl tube could be used at the end of the spout. You may be able to Mickey Mouse a Nylon 90 degree fitting on the end of the tube. The area needs to be cleaned inside with Acetone to remove the mold release wax.
A Dremel Tool can come in handy for a job like this. My Dremel came with a long flexible shaft that could possibly reach up inside there and widen the crack enough to fill it with epoxy. When it comes to tools needed, a Dremel Tool is a “must own” for the boat owner who does his own maintenance. You can borrow a cordless Makita from a friend but by all means go out and buy a Dremel with all the attachments.
When I removed my board I cleaned the keel slot good and gave the inside two coats of Super Shipbottom Ablative bottom paint. I left the grooves where the wedges go,-- bare. The wedges are adhered with a good caulking like 3-M 4000 or 3-M 4200. After the centerboard and wedges are in, you can paint the outside of the wedges. This is what I did.
After the board was installed and the wedges were caulked and in place, I think that I jammed two sticks between each wedge and the centerboard to get the wedges where I though they needed to be seated. Then I waited for the caulking to set up before I installed the wood screws into the bottom of the wedges. I had to reconstructed the wedges with epoxy a little bit prior to that and I had to redrill the holes for the wood screws later. So that’s about it.
Hi Mike,-I'm glad that I could be of some help here. One of my friends, Jerry, owns an O'Day 30 and he loves this boat. He's a cabinet maker but restoring boats is just another thing that he's good at and I've learned a lot from him.
You're going to need to get the title for this boat off the seller and he's going to have to sign it over to you. I think the VIN number should be in the upper right hand corner of the outside transom. Write it down and take it with you to the State Department of Marine Registry and run a check on it. That's what I would do. State laws vary in different states.
I recently emailed an O'Day serial number format sheet to this forum and it contains all the info needed to decipher the numbers to enable you to find out the year, and month built, along with the manufacturer and serial number. It may have been put on this forum. If not, just email me and I'll send it to you. sailtrinkka1986@verizon.net This goes for anyone who wants one.
I'd touch base with the State Registry first before you fork over any money, Mike. Just to be on the safe side.
Good Luck!
Joe
Hi Mike, I am a VA resident also, and I would definitely check on that title before you leap. I just can't imagine that slipping through the cracks. Listen to Joe, he is wealth of knowledge. I actually don't live very far from you, and come down to VA Beach periodically. I'll stop in and introduce myself someday soon. Good luck.
George
George
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