Hunter 22 pop up rudder

[hellerjo]

The last time I went sailing on my 1984 hunter 22 My rudder popped up and very little of the rudder was in the water making it very difficult to steer.

I finally had to drop the sails and turn on the motor so I could steer with the motor.

Why did it pop up. I am sure I didn't hit anything and I was in deep water.

Thanks for your help

Joe

 

[Kermit]

Don't know if it's the same as on the 23, but you pull the rope to that runs through a cam cleat to lower the rudder. Release the rope from the cleat and the rudder floats up. Is the rope still there? If so, pull it and engage it in the cam cleat.

Kermit

 

[cephius (Dave)]

Worn out

Some have reported that even with the tightening lever on the pivot shaft fully tighten down the rudder would slip.

The fix was to replace the worn Mylar like spacers that sandwiched between the rudder and plates on the pivot shaft.

A circumvention was to add a breakaway clam cleat for the haul down line.

 

[JamesO256]

I have a 1983 22 ft the rudder has a rope that pulls it down. To me it works backwords. if you don't have the rope it's a 3/8 inch.

 

[tink]

I read somewhere not to cleat the down haul line, only tightening the large wing nut on the rudder plates to allow the rudder to pop up if it hits something (like the bottom). I have also read that you should not try to steer with the tiller when the rudder is floating. The increased leverage can reportedly break the rudder. Before reading that advice, I did steer mine once with the rudder floating and the tiller was very difficult to move so the possibility of breaking something seemed likely.

I've never had trouble hauling the rudder down and keeping it there, but hauling it all the way up is nearly impossible with the up haul line rigged in the standard configuration (well, it is what I think is "standard"). I have to use a boat hook and it just seems wrong. Any tips?

 

[JamesO256]

Mine only has one rope to hold it down. If I don't cleat it it doesn't stay down. I cannot see having any trouble, I take the rope out of the cleat at docking. Trying to turn with the rudder up would put a lot of torque on the pivot point of the rudder. If it floats it probably does it for a reason, and likewise if has a cleat I'm going to use it. But I 'm not an expert.