Hunter 240 Rudder Vibration

[Winkali]

Hi all. The rudder on my H240 vibrates when it is under light pressure.

When the boat is healed, and under load, there is little or no vibration.

When there are light winds, or sailing downwind, the rudder vibrates.

Has anyone else experienced this, and have you developed any solutions.

I have checked and rechecked that the rudder is completely down.

I have got some really good advice off this site, by reading other people's threads. Thanks crazy Dave in particular.

As a result of your good advice, I have refurbished the H240, dropped the keel out and repaired it and replaced up haul, etc with new confidence.

The H240 sails beautifully, is 15 years old, and looks 3 years old. A great boat.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice boat, nice work on it.

Have you checked the pintles and gudgeons? Sometimes they wear and can create that issue. Check also to see that the gudgeons are firmly bolted to the transom.

Good luck.

 

[Hugh Straub]

+1 on Stu's advise. Stainless steel corrodes quickly if it is not in air. The lower pintle on my 23.5 is a prime example.

Kind regards

Hugh

 

[Winkali]

Thanks guys, I have not checked them, but following your advice I would have to admit that there is quite a bit of lateral movement of the rudder post.

I will take her out on the water and see if testing that literal movement changes the vibration . It is most likely that it will.

Looks like another job coming up. Thanks again, advice through this site is invaluable . I hope hunter owners realise how fortunate they are.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Use a lot of sealant and let it ooze out and when bolted back in, clean up quickly. I used 5200 for anything below the waterline which is of course permanent and will enhance sealing but also anything moving. 4200 is not recommended by me in this application.
Let it dry for 5-7 days to harden up.

crazy dave condon

 

[MrEd]

I believe the configuration of the 23.5 is different from the kick-up setup on the 240. I'd always want to check that everything is tight, but mine has had some very, very minor vibration similar to the original post since I first bought it. I've always assumed that it's related to water flow over the rudder itself. Enjoy the 240.

 

[Winkali]

Hi all, I am very glad to advise that I fixed this one.

After checking, cleaning and resealing everything I could, the vibration was still there. I ordered a new rudder from the store, made out of HDPE material.

It not only fitted perfectly.....it doesn't vibrate at all.

I can only surmise that the original rudder was just a little bit twisted.

If you are having the same problem as me with your 240, and you can feel the rudder vibration down low under the water while sailing, then this fix works.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Winkali

Thank you for advising. I would still suggest that you check everything still particularly the gudgeons so they are tight and not moving. Sometimes vibration can come from one or two sources. Of course the rudder blade loose in the rudder housing, loose pintels/gudgeons, loose tiller handle, holes being enlargend due to wear over time, and so on. I would ask that you relook at all possibilities to ensure that you have a perm. fix.