Play in Rudder

[Stu T]

I have an Oceanis 321. For the past three years I have been hearing a thumping noise coming from under me feet while under sail. The noise has progressively gotten worse each year, but it is not consistent. It only happens with under sail, and it happens mostly while running before the wind. It seems to happen all the time after I have surfed down a wave. I think the noise is coming from the rudder post area. I hauled the boat this winter, and looked at the rudder yesterday. I am able to move the rudder slightly (maybe a 1/4 - 1/2 inch). I think the noise may be one or more of the bushing in the rudder post housing wearing down, but I'm not sure. Before I go through the trouble of pulling the rudder, I want to see if anyone else has experienced this problem. If so, how did you fix the problem? Also, if anyone has pulled their rudder, are there any "tricks" I need to watch out for?Thanks,Stu

 

[Mike B]

Check the archives

Check the archives. Seems to me someone just posted their repair, including photos. Good luck.

 

[Dragonfly6689]

Rudder problem on B331

Sounds like a similar problem as on Dragonfly. See info and story at:http://picasaweb.google.com/DragonflyB331/DragonflyRudderDamageAndPropShort answer, the stainless steel bushing came free and slid up the rudder post. We dropped the rudder, cleaned the area, glued the bushing back in place with a special adhesive from Beneteau, repaired the damage and replaced the rudder.Sounds easy. It wasn't. Removing the rudder was the most difficult part. Review the pictures for complete story.I don't know how the 321 compares to the 331.Please feel free to email me if you need more information. I'm not a regular visitor to this site...only a couple of time a month.stillwellm@att.netMark