rudder on a 25

[steve hopper]

I just bought a 1978 25' Oday. It is going to be a fixer upper for sure. The tiller is broken off off the rudder(which is made of plywood) and it is so rotted a new rudder will be needed. was the original plywood or fiberglass? If it is plywood, I dont see how even new plywood would handle all theat tork with only one bolt on the tiller.Thanks for any helpSteve

 

[Don Evans]

Not Original

Steve, the original rudder was fiberglass sheathed foam, made by Foss foam in Florida. Now, you have a plywood replacement, that is at its end. I would suspect the plywood replacement was not properly built or maintained. Many owners have either bought a replacement (foam/fiberglass has failed due to water ingress) or have made their own. I am one who has made their own. Not that difficult to do. I have a solid mahogony rudder, but ply is still a good choice, just has to be waterproofed properly. A new foam rudder, last I heard was about $600 (can anyone confirm this?).The tiller headstock should be attached with 2 bolts as you surmised.Don

 

[Ed]

Rudder material

According to Rudy, the first rudders were putty filled fiberglass. Very dense and stable. To reduce cost, Oday went to a foam core rudder. They delaminated. The replacement rudders from D

 

[Dave]

Home Made Tiller

I recently built a wooden sailboat and here's what I did to make a tiller. Using a hardwaood, I used maple, cut into 1/8 inch thick strips and the width to suit. Using a sheet of plywood I laid out what the tiller would look like in final form, then I mounted blocks of wood with screws at points along the form. Then using wood clamps and epoxy start gluing up the layers with the clamps holding the strips to the blocks. The bends will remain under sheer stress with the epoxy taking the load once cured. No steaming required, A little planing and sanding and the final product came out great!!!I suggest you make the whole rudder from hardwood and laminate it with epoxy instead of plywood. Easy to make and easy to replace.Dave

 

[Mike]

I'll help if I can

I've got an O'Day 25 with the original rudder. I can give you dimensions, and possibly photos of it. Working with fiberglass is not too difficult, and much much cheaper than buying a new part, plus you have the pride of knowing that its done right. And the single bolt on the tiller handle gives plenty of torque when used with the correct hardware, plus enables you to swing the tiller up and out of your way when sitting at anchor. Just let me know if I can help. maculley@home.com