A real simple solution for the new 25 rudder

[JeffC21331]

There has been some discussion in the past about how to get the rudder on the new 25 all the way out of the water when moored or in a slip. I pulled my boat to clean it last weekend and found a super simple way to do so. I have wheel steering, and I have removed most of the original linkage that raises and lowers the rudder, so keep that in mind. I guess a picture is the easiest way to show this. The boat is now back in the water, with this setup and the rudder is kept well out of the water. Oh yeah,it was free (the scrap 2x4, that is)

 

[Mike16400]

Thanks Jeff

Jeff, thanks for posting a picture of that. With all of the raising/lowering hardware removed, how do you keep the rudder down when sailing. I noticed in an ealier post that you just tighten the cinche bolt (is that enough to keep it from popping up. Also thank you very much for some of your responses to my questions over the past six months, you have been very helpful.

 

[JeffC21331]

To keep the rudder down

Mike,All I ever do is tighten the cinch bolt on the rudder after it is down. I have yet to have it pop up unexpectedly. Be aware that with all the raising/lowering hardware removed, it will allow the rudder to go so far forward that it can contact the back of the boat beneath the waterline. I use a piece of line between the front side of the rudder and the mount to keep this from happening.

 

[TCA]

anybody else?

we have the same problem and more!!! our rudder has so much play in it that it's difficult to track straight pretty much ever. the arms are bent so far apart that the rudder doesn't really sit in the center any more. not to mention, the connection between the wheel steering mechanism and the rudder arm BROKE. there are two bolts welded to the outside of the arm. one of them snapped off. we have been careful with this boat and followed all the rules/instructions/common sense stuff and this boat has really been frustrating. i've attached a pic of the part of which i'm speaking. i put a bolt all the way through to eliminate some of the bending and keep the two arms closer together and for added strenghth. anybody got a clue why this is such a crummy AND unsafe mechanism? if this broke on the water we'd be rushing around for the emergency tiller in a barely used boat!!! totally unacceptable and hunter is of nearly no use. not to mention we have two persistent and undiscoverable leaks that keep everything below WET. anyways, here's a pic.

 

[JeffC21331]

Regarding water leaks

TCA,Regarding your water leaks, was it from rain? My boat was doing the same thing and I have now found the source. Actually two sources. One is the bottom companionway board. If rain blows hard against it, it will drip in the cabin there. The other is that in heavy rain, water will leak where the plexiglass and the fiberglass sliding roof come together causing water to drip on the settee by the sink. The solution to this is to install a companionway cover. I got one from the chandlery here on this site. I use a plastic container under the cover sitting on the plexiglass part of the slider to keep water from pooling. If you let water pool on the cover, the boat will still leak.

 

[tca]

Yes, that is the same leak!

Yes, that's exactly the same!!!! I'll look into the cover. The other leak is below the cockpit. it pools in that space and when we heel over, the water just pours forward since it's only held back by a piece of teak that's just screwed down [poorly] with several screws. i'll check the clamps on the hoses back there just to make sure the bilge isn't just getting pumped right back into the boat.

 

[Calvin]

Beware

If there is play in the rudder one of two things will happen. Either the rudder will snap or the bolt securing the rudder will snap. We had both things ( at different times) happen to us on our H260. The quarter inch stainless steel bolt snapped with a sound similar to a 12 guage shotgun. It was quite exciting, but also very expensive. The rudder assembly on the older H26 was much superior. Too bad that Hunter chose to save a few dollars on such a critical part of the boat.

 

[tca]

Ah yes, rudder play, but how to fix it??

Our 2005 25' has had rudder play since we put her in the water. The rudder arms that hold the rudder are simply too far away to "hold" it in place. I don't understand why Hunter didn't just hang a "normal" rudder on there like boats have had since time immemorial. Is it to accomodate the steering system or something? Anybody got any ideas on how to redo the system so it isn't so wobbly?

 

[JeffC21331]

One thing for rudder play

One thing you can do to make the rudder system better is to put a block in between the rudder casting (where the mast support goes). This will give a boat with a wheel much better feel and keep the metal from bending where the steering is connected. It is not a problem on the tiller boats because that is where the tiller attaches to a new 25. I just bought a piece of 2 inch square delrin off ebay to do it. You could use aluminum as well. Other than the flex in the connection from there, where else do you have rudder play?