Cal 25 refit

May 2, 2014
4
Cal 25 Hudson River
After purchasing my first Cal 25 this year on a whim, I upgraded to hull 894, which is in wonderful shape. Fresh awl griped sides and properly done interior fixes were huge selling points. Time is here for upgrades/fixes.

I will primarily be racing in phrf, non-spin at first, until I can establish a reliable crew. Few questions.

How many of you have done internal halyards? How hard is this?

I have an electric start 9.9 which is beautiful, but heavy. What are you running, and do you remove it for racing? If so, where and how do you store it below?

What is class legal for beam replacement? Mine is just lightly sagging, but I want to address it and fix it for good. I've read over the guide for fixing it, which includes a mention to an aluminum plate directly under the step. Is this class legal?

Does anyone have a source for decent, but cheaper instruments? I'd really like to have more than depth and a compass, but dropping 2k on a full set up seems a bit steep for the racing I'll be doing.

How useful is the mid boom sheeting a lot of you seem to have added? Are there any other "must do" type of upgrades? My winches are already on risers to prevent overrides, but I'm sure theres lots of other little things.

Does anyone have a pic of the original door that closed in the head? I'd like to try and recreate one.

My only real repair is fixing the rudder. There's significant play in the rudder tube. What have you done to remedy this? Its far to much for me to simply deal with. I have to do something.

Thanks!
-Kerry
 
Nov 22, 2011
1,192
Ericson 26-2 San Pedro, CA
After purchasing my first Cal 25 this year on a whim, I upgraded to hull 894, which is in wonderful shape. Fresh awl griped sides and properly done interior fixes were huge selling points. Time is here for upgrades/fixes.
<snip>
My only real repair is fixing the rudder. There's significant play in the rudder tube. What have you done to remedy this? Its far to much for me to simply deal with. I have to do something.

Thanks!
-Kerry
Hello, Kerry! Congrats on your Cal 25. I had one many years ago (i.e., in the mid-1970's) and I loved that boat! It sailed very, very well.

I now have an Ericson 26-2 and, if I'm not mistaken, the rudder set up is very similar to the Cal 25. From what I recall, the Cal 25 simply has a fiberglass rudder tube which contains the stainless steel rudder post, which comes straight up into the cockpit floor. There is no stuffing box or anything fancy. That's the way it is on my E26 and I think it's the same for you.

Now, if that's the case then realize that the rudder post will only bear on the very bottom (where the post exits the hull) and at the very top (where the post comes up through the cockpit sole and attaches to the tiller). So what you can do is shim it at the top and the bottom. I used stainless steel shim stock that I purchased from McMaster-Carr. You may need to first figure out the thickness of the stock you need to buy; perhaps a feeler gauge can get you pretty close.

I wish I had a better picture of what the shims look like, but the only one I have is attached. If you look on the upper left side of the picture you'll see a paper plate, and on this plate are the two shims. If you look closely you'll see that there are tabs bent on the top to keep it from working its way down the tube (for the top shim) or up the tube (for the bottom shim).

Take a look at the McMaster-Carr web site. This part number will get you in the ballpark: 2317K13. Of course, you would need to find the part number for the right thickness depending on how much play you have. I had quite a bit more play in the bottom than in the top. So I used .005" in the top and .015" in the bottom and that took care of the play quite nicely.
 

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May 2, 2014
4
Cal 25 Hudson River
You're exactly right about the rudder post/tube set up. Am I seeing the correct item regarding the shim, it appears as though it would nearly fully wrap around the post and have a length of three ish inches. This would seem like it would be a good option.

How well did this method work for you? Did it eliminate the side to side play?
 
Nov 22, 2011
1,192
Ericson 26-2 San Pedro, CA
You're exactly right about the rudder post/tube set up. Am I seeing the correct item regarding the shim, it appears as though it would nearly fully wrap around the post and have a length of three ish inches. This would seem like it would be a good option.

How well did this method work for you? Did it eliminate the side to side play?
For the diameter of my rudder post I cut the shim 7-3/8" wide and made it about 4" tall. You'll have to do the math for your own post diameter but it will probably be similar. The shim wraps almost all the way around the diameter of the post, with a slight gap. I also applied some Teflon grease (Superlube) on the inside surface of the shim. Be careful not to cut your fingers on the tabs that you'll fold down on the top.

The shims eliminated the play entirely.
 
Oct 29, 2014
6
cal 25-1 scappose bay
look on the cal 25 assc website classifieds a guy is selling a good rudder for 100. hers the info foor him


Pop Top Support Arms – great shape 2 for $50
Life lines (poor) & Stanchions (good shape)- $25
Rudder, in good to fair shape: $100

Plus shipping from Raleigh, NC
Chris Hansen
chrishindy@hotmail.com