H22 Rudder Stuck

[NYCHunterSailor]

I am first SEASON sailboat owner & rookie sailor ; Ex small powerboat (21ft bowrider) owner with a SERIOUS problem

After completing a basic sailing course, at ending of last season I bought a 1984 H22 looking to gain experience & confidence; eventually trade up to a mid-size cruiser 27 - 33 ft.

Problems & Issues :

This past weekend I encountered a horrible/dangerous experience; while sailing under power (8HP Yamaha O/B) on Long Island Sound, the waters between White Stone & Throgs Neck Bridges were choppy at times due to sudden wind gust ,heavy boat traffic & strong current the rudder was KICKED up to mid (90 degree) position 3 times & stuck there each time; I lost control of the rudder (no steering), and had to steer using the tiller handle of the O/B motor; it's difficult & dangerous; after getting into lesser traffic area to release the STUCK rudder, each time I had to lean over the stern & using my foot & weigh to STEP on the rudder to push it back into DOWN position.

The H22 came with manufacturer installed Edson wheel; taking off the rudder
would be a major effort to separate the rudder from the control arm/link to the
steering control cable; so I intend to work on this PROBLEM with the boat in
the water (long waiting list for the boat yard for a haul out ) on a floating wood platform tied to the stern provided by the boat yard.

Anyone have idea/info : 1. how can I prevent this JAMMED rudder problem again?
2. is there a plastic bushing under the CROSS BOLT at the mid point of the
rudder assembly ?
3. there is very little room/gap between the rudder blade & metal frame top
part of the rudder housing (very poor design) my friends owners of
Macgregor & Catalinas rudder design have a wider frame/bracket or OPEN design with the rudder blade hanged off the tiller handle (no frame
or bracket at all) this would prevent dirt, algae growth, etc from trapped/stuck
between the rudder blade & metal frame which I think cause my PROBLEM
4. I intend to use WD40 & Formula 404 degreaser spray & a long flat metal
blade to clean out the area inside the frame & blade hoping to get rid of all
dirt trapped there & provide Lubrication; HOPE this would work; also
loosen the CROSS BOLT (a little bit); I don't want to drop the rudder blade
into the water , so I intend NOT to remove the blade, there is no hole or
attachment point to tie a rope/secure the blade if it FELL off the bracket.

****sorry for the long POST, I need HELP & info ASAP so I thought it's better to give more detailed information of my problem

ANY HELP & IDEAS ARE GREAT APPRECIATED !

Happy sailing good buddies, Andy, NYC

 

[hellerjo]

kickup rudder

I have the same year and model as you.

Make sure you tie the rudder with strong rope secured to the motor mount or a stern cleat.

I keep my boat in the Bayside Marina and have sailed and motored in the East river where your incident occured. I know how rough it can get.

My rudder has kicked up once, but I got it down with my boat hook.

Good luck- sorry I can't be more helpfull

Joe

 

[hellerjo]

Re: kickup rudder

You could put in a pin to prevent the rudder from going up, or if not a pin you can use a S.S. Nut and lockn

 

[NYCHunterSailor]

Thanks Joe for the input; I called HunterMarine customer support: they told me to take off Rudder blade, clean out all surfaces on the rudder head & inside the "metal
frame" ; then drill a hole 2 " below the pivot cross bolt; through both the metal housing & the rudder head (paint the exposed surfaces prevent water damage) then put in a "plastic dowel " (act as shear pin) to prevent rudder blade from Kicking Up.
There's long waiting list for Haul out (work order) & re-launch ; it will be 2-3 weeks, I
don't have the time to put up with it NOW; maybe at the end of the season I will
try to work on it. So basically it's the same suggestion you offer. I am kind of worry
about drilling into metal housing & fiberglass rudder (20+ years old) .
thanks for the time & interest. Happy July 4th ! Andy

 

[isaksp00]

Andy,

I wouldn't be too worried about drilling through the rudder, particularly if Hunter said to. I have a '91 H23 that I bought last year, and the rudder had a number of decent sized gouges. Fiberglass is forgiving. I just used West Marine epoxy with fairing filler, and got it back to decent shape. The hole that the pivot bolt goes through was also somewhat enlarged (kind of oval shaped), so earlier this year I filled it with epoxy and redrilled. Bottom line - even in the unlikely event you did something wrong, it's not a disaster.

The H23 has a cam cleat on top of the aluminum rudder bracket that holds a line that pulls the rudder down - works OK on mine.

 

[MrUnix]

The only H22 rudders I've seen were just about identical to the ones on the H23 and have a downhaul line to lower and secure the rudder in the down position. Is yours different due to the wheel steering? On the stock H23 (and I am pretty sure the H22 also), the line attaches to a padeye on top of the rudder blade, runs through a block in the housing and goes up through a cam cleat to secure the line. The cleat will break loose in the event of an impact to the blade, but should keep it down during normal sailing conditions. A drawing of the H23 rudder mechanism can be seen here: H23 Rudder Mechanism.

As for the bushing.. I don't believe they had bushings stock, but did have some large plastic washers between the blade and housing to prevent wear. I think they were originally made of nylon, but a lot of people I know have replaced them with lexan (polycarbonate). Some have used coffee can tops, others made them from sheet lexan, and a few have used old CD's (which are polycarbonate).

You shouldn't have to worry about taking off the rudder blade.. they are a foam core covered with fiberglass/gelcoat and float.. when you release the cleat holding it down, it should float up on it's own or with very little persuasion. It should not 'stick' in the up position however.. so I'd try to find out where it is binding first.. might just need to loosen up the pivot bolt and add a few plastic washers between the blade and housing.

As always, a picture would be worth it's weight in candy bars.. post one so we can see what you are talking about.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[NYCHunterSailor]

Thanks for all the replies; link to the H23 rudder diagram was helpful. I found a 'workable' solution: what I did was slip a piece of 1x2 wood strip about 42 inch long down the metal frame housing; it sits on top of the rudder blade; this prevents the kick-up (pivot) motion of the blade. I kept an eye on my depth meter, and have been through some rough currents in the past 2 weeks, so far no repeat of the problem. Maybe after the summer season I will drop the rudder blade & look over other options.