Play in the rudder and excessive vibration

[Bill]

I have an 88 C30 and have never had to deal with the rudder and steering mechanism before. This weekend I noticed excessive vibration while motoring and also noticed the rudder steering quadrant rocking side to side while underway. This rocking did not occur at the dock. I can't force it to rock grabbing the quadrant with my hands. I think the vibration is due to the rudder having play. Couple of questions...1. Anyone have this happen and what did you do?2. If I remove the quadrant from the rudder post to inspect the packing gland will the rudder fall off into the water?3. Does it make sense that the vibration could be related to the rudder play or do I have 2 problems?Thanks.

 

[Mike]

Disturbed water flow from the prop.

I had a similar problem with our boat when we bought it last fall. The surveyor said it was caused by the considerable growth on the prop (boat sat unused by PO for several months) apparently this growth disrupts the smooth flow of water from the prop and creates considerable turbulence that is felt on the rudder. After getting the boat home I had it pulled out to paint and service the bottom, the heavy growth was removed from the prop and it was buffed to a nice shine. As predicted by the surveyor when she was launched the turbulence was gone and the rudder was smooth and responsive again. Is there a possibility that this is what you are experiencing?Best of luck,Mikesv Whirlwind

 

[chief14326]

Rudder Problems

I have an 89 Cat 30 and I am not sure if the two boats are the same regarding the rudder design. A few years back I decided to re-built the entire rudder system while replacing the rudder itself. During my winter haulout I had the yard remove the rudder, then I completed the work myself. The reason I stated that I am not sure if the two boats are the same is because I do not have any type of packing gland on the 89. When I was ordering parts from Edson, the customer service folks could not believe what I was telling them. They then pulled the drawings for an 89 Cat 30 and sure enough; all I have is a rudder with the stock coming up through the rudder tube, there are two nylon washers one below the hull, and one that sits at the top of the rudder post right below the quadrant. Then I have the two-piece quadrant that fits around the shaft, with the sterring cables attached. If you have not yet checked, the first place to exam is the tension on the steering cables. You want them to be tight, but with a slight amount of play. If you go online Edson has a great website with some helpful information. Their customer service staff is also top notch. On my year boat if I remove the quadrant the rudder will fall into the water, because there is no packing gland.

 

[Bill]

Grease and adjustment...

I did adjust the steering cables and it seemed to help some. I also noticed old grease on the top of the rudder post. What type of grease do you use on this. I can't believe it but I have never had to grease the post. I did notice this last weekend that the post rubbing against the floor cover made more noise than I ever noticed. I planned on greasing the post to see the effect.Any advice on this? Also do you have to grease the rudder post in the rudder tube?