New S2 8.5 owner Plymouth ma

Jan 14, 2015
18
S2 8.5 meter Plymouth
I'm a new 8.5 owner as of 3 weeks ago. Any 8.5 owners in the southeastern ma area? I've been going to town on the boat. Ripped out and replaced all the water piping. Put in new pressure water and also foot pump system. Sanded and refinished all teak inside and out. New Sealand self contained head with pump out and maceration pump with 3 way valve. New season for the galley sink. Ran and winterized the engine. Looks like the engine oil seal is leaking at the cranking handle. Not sure how serious that is? The rudder seems a bit sloppy has anyone ever pulled theirs out? Are there bearings at top and bottom? The mast rigging is loose but no soft spots on deck or crushing or cracking of the cross members or footing inside the cabin. I think I just need to tighten up the turn buckles. I do need to replace the two plastic port windows in the head, they are leaking. Anyone know what windows fit? I'd like to go with more robust ports. The winter is cold and dark but I plan on working every spare minute to get everything fixed by spring.
 
Jan 14, 2015
18
S2 8.5 meter Plymouth
Thanks! It's nice to see there is a forum for S2's. I have lots of work to do before spring. I've already found many answers to my questions.
 

jguyer

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Sep 16, 2010
41
S2 8.5 Milwaukee
Welcme to the forum fellow 8.5 owner. I am in Milwaukee WI. It is cold and dark here too!! Good to hear that your deck is sold, mine is quite rotted. (currently doing a re coring project) I am not seeing crushing or cracking in the cabin, but there is a 'dimple' in the floor under the "compression post" and the geometry is off in the bulk head unger the mast. Does you boat have any of these issues?
 
Jan 14, 2015
18
S2 8.5 meter Plymouth
I'm happy to say that I don't have those problems but I did get a camera under the floor and it appears the mast support block is just a cross member about 3 inches thick and it is glassed to the hull right under the bulkhead. Looks like it would be a ***** to fix. You will have to cut the floor out to get to it. I wonder if you could drill a thru hole into the door jam mast support and then slide a steel rod thru it. Using 2 automotive screw Jacks lift the entire post and deck enough to get an aluminum plate between the bottom of the post and the floor. Then let it back down and plug the holes in the post with wood plugs? Might be easier Than ripping up and replacing the floor.

Welcme to the forum fellow 8.5 owner. I am in Milwaukee WI. It is cold and dark here too!! Good to hear that your deck is sold, mine is quite rotted. (currently doing a re coring project) I am not seeing crushing or cracking in the cabin, but there is a 'dimple' in the floor under the "compression post" and the geometry is off in the bulk head unger the mast. Does you boat have any of these issues?
 
Jan 14, 2015
18
S2 8.5 meter Plymouth
Has anyone ever pulled the rudder out? I can't find any pictures or diagrams showing the bearing arrangement. My rudder seems loose in the tube. The rest of the rudder is solid. Are there bearings or is it just a tube with a sleeve?
 
Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
if its like the 9.2 and probably is..... it is just a plastic bushing/sleeve mounted in a stationary block in the aft lazarette going through a bronze stuffing box and bronze tube.... not a very good pic but its all i got ...above all that in the pic is a block on the top side of the lazarette deck with a plastic/nylon bushing also
 

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Bron

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Apr 19, 2010
74
s2 8.5 rocky river
if its like the 9.2 and probably is..... it is just a plastic bushing/sleeve mounted in a stationary block in the aft lazarette going through a bronze stuffing box and bronze tube.... not a very good pic but its all i got ...above all that in the pic is a block on the top side of the lazarette deck with a plastic/nylon bushing also
Rudder bushing on the 8.5 is a thin nylon sleeve called a NYLINER. They are readily avaiable thorough industrial supply houses and are prety cheap - about $8 each several years ago.

They are easy to replace but you must drop the rudder. Can be done in the water if you fashion a sling under the rudder before you pull the rudder head off the rudder stock. Once the rudder head is off, the rudder will drop right out. Even on shore, you have to have enough room under the boat for the rudder and stock to drop out of the rudder tube.

Bron
Lithirish
S2 8.5 #088
Rocky River, OH
 
Jan 14, 2015
18
S2 8.5 meter Plymouth
Bron thanks for the great information. Can you tell me how the rudder is held in and how to release it? The boat is currently out of the water so I can drop it out. I can support it from below and lower it down but not sure if there is enough distance to the ground to get it completely out. The keel is on a wooden block will that allow enough room to drop it out completely?

Rudder bushing on the 8.5 is a thin nylon sleeve called a NYLINER. They are readily avaiable thorough industrial supply houses and are prety cheap - about $8 each several years ago.

They are easy to replace but you must drop the rudder. Can be done in the water if you fashion a sling under the rudder before you pull the rudder head off the rudder stock. Once the rudder head is off, the rudder will drop right out. Even on shore, you have to have enough room under the boat for the rudder and stock to drop out of the rudder tube.

Bron
Lithirish
S2 8.5 #088
Rocky River, OH
 
Jan 14, 2015
18
S2 8.5 meter Plymouth
Bron I think I found the bearings on Thompson Industrial Products Website. I think they are the 24L24FK model. Do I need 2 of them? One has a locking tab the other (24L24F) does not. The cost is $7.45 each in case anyone else is looking for them.
 

Bron

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Apr 19, 2010
74
s2 8.5 rocky river
Looks like you found it. I think its the largest one they make if my memory serves me. I don't think I have a locking tab. I don't know what it would do. The NYLINER is free to rotate as a bushing inside the shaft between the shaft and the tube.You will need two - one top and one bottom.

Removing rudder is a two man job, unless you have a system in place to hold it in place from the bottom (I made a rope sling to hold it up while I climbed down to guide the drop.)

The rudder head has a pin in it that goes through the head and the rudder stock shaft. Once the sling is in place, tap the pin out with a long punch. It's grooved with tapered ends, so it moves easily. I have a hose clamp around it when in place so it doesn't slip out unintentionally.The rudder will free fall once the pin is taken out of the head. Rudder is probably 7+ feet long so you will need that much clearance to get it out of the shaft.

I found my spares NYLINERS in the garage and I think you can slip them onto the shaft without dropping the rudder completely. It's a long flanged nylon tube which is split at an angle its entire length. Spread the tube at the split and it should slip around the shaft. Otherwise you have to drop it completely and slide it down the length of the shaft. I don't know if the cold will make it susceptible to cracking if split too much in winter.

My setup is totally different from Woody's. Probably because I have a tiller instead of a wheel. The tube is a continuous tube from the bottom of the hull up to the underside of the cockpit seat. There are no terminations, or holes in that tube. Just glassed in at the bottom and at the top. I suspect a wheel would need a termination and shaft seal to accommodate wheel steering.

pm me if you need more information. taorasbk@aol.com
 
Jan 14, 2015
18
S2 8.5 meter Plymouth
Just a quick follow up for others reading these posts. The rudder came off easily with one person. I simply placed a wooden block under the base of the rudder. Got up in the cockpit and with a hammer and a screw driver punched out the dowl pin in the rudder stock. The rudder slid down slowly onto the block of wood. I found that my bearings were completely missing that's why the post was sloppy. The new nyliner bearings have a tapered slit in them which allows you to slip them over the rudder shaft. I then lifted the rudder back up into position while sliding a larger wooden block under it bottom. Jumped back in the cockpit installed the top bearing over the shaft and put the top cap and dowl pin back in with a hammer. Easy job for one person and two block of wood.