I just purchased a 299, and have it on the hard for a complete refit. During my inspection I found the rudder post to be loose and the tiller head to have a crack. Has anyone had this problem and if so have you found a tiller head. The rudder post is loose which I assumed was bad bearings but when I removed the rudder it appears that there are no bearings. Does anyone have any information on this or a solution to the problem.
Rudder post and tiller head
- Thread starter Daydreams
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One solution
First, to the best of my knowledge Seidelmann did not put rudder bearings in his boats. It's not an uncommon practice, many manufactures did not. To repair the wood tiller, open the crack with a putty knife or screw driver, pour epoxy in the crack. Remove the wedge & then clamp it till the epoxy dries. There are several alternatives for fixing the rudder slop. I am only going to mention the simplest. The other methods I have in mind might may be beyond your abilities and tools available, or get you in trouble if you don't know what you are doing. The method I suggest is to cut up plastic bottles ( like milk or shampoo bottles) and use them to shim the top and bottom of the rudder post. It is a quick and easy fix that should last a year or two before you need to replace the shims. In my boat I installed bearings. Considering the project took about 30 hours and about $ 100.00 I would not do it again. I heard about the shim trick from others that did it.
First, to the best of my knowledge Seidelmann did not put rudder bearings in his boats. It's not an uncommon practice, many manufactures did not. To repair the wood tiller, open the crack with a putty knife or screw driver, pour epoxy in the crack. Remove the wedge & then clamp it till the epoxy dries. There are several alternatives for fixing the rudder slop. I am only going to mention the simplest. The other methods I have in mind might may be beyond your abilities and tools available, or get you in trouble if you don't know what you are doing. The method I suggest is to cut up plastic bottles ( like milk or shampoo bottles) and use them to shim the top and bottom of the rudder post. It is a quick and easy fix that should last a year or two before you need to replace the shims. In my boat I installed bearings. Considering the project took about 30 hours and about $ 100.00 I would not do it again. I heard about the shim trick from others that did it.
A question about the bearings
Paul, I have a S25 and it too has sloppy rudder tube and shaft. I am interested in your repair with bearings. Can you give me some product details please, anything I have looked at comes much closer to that normal "boat" amount (Bring Out Another Thousand) - a $100 seems reasonable.
Paul, I have a S25 and it too has sloppy rudder tube and shaft. I am interested in your repair with bearings. Can you give me some product details please, anything I have looked at comes much closer to that normal "boat" amount (Bring Out Another Thousand) - a $100 seems reasonable.
Questions but no answers yet
Does your boat have a spade rudder or a skeg mounted rudder or an attached rudder with a full keel? The crack in the tiller head can probably be welded if you can find a shop that knows how to weld bronze. mcmaster-carr sells delrin bushings with 1/8 inch wall thickness that might serve your needs for a sloppy rudder post.
Does your boat have a spade rudder or a skeg mounted rudder or an attached rudder with a full keel? The crack in the tiller head can probably be welded if you can find a shop that knows how to weld bronze. mcmaster-carr sells delrin bushings with 1/8 inch wall thickness that might serve your needs for a sloppy rudder post.
Spade rudder
My boat has a spade rudder. The tiller head is not repareable so I am trying to find a replacement. If I can not find one I will have to machine a new one from either aluminum or stainless steel stock.
My boat has a spade rudder. The tiller head is not repareable so I am trying to find a replacement. If I can not find one I will have to machine a new one from either aluminum or stainless steel stock.
Rudder post size
The rudder post on this boat is 2 7/8 inches. This is the largest I have ever seen on a 30' boat.
The rudder post on this boat is 2 7/8 inches. This is the largest I have ever seen on a 30' boat.
Response to Ray about rudder bearings
Ray, I installed plain bronze bearings, 2-1/2" long. I purchased the bearings from a bearing distributor. I couldn't find the exact size so I had to bore them out on a lathe. I made the bearing housings from scratch. Each bearing housing has a top & bottom section. The bottom part holds the bearing and is attached (fiber-glassed)to the hull. The top holds the bearing in place and is attached to the rudder tube. The top & bottom are bolted together with 4 threaded bolts. To make the bearing housings, I filled 2 tin cans with resin & fiberglass mat to make round solid bars about 4" diameter x 4" high. On a lathe, I bored the bars to the same dimension of the bearing ID. I also drilled holes for the bolts. Next I cut the 4" length to produce a 1" long piece and a 3" long piece. The 3" piece was then re-bored to the OD of the bearing and the 4 holes were tapped to accept the bolts. The 1" piece was bored out to the OD dimension of the rudder tube and the 4 holes were bored to allow the bolts to go thru without interference. In the side of the bottom part of the bearing housings I drilled & tapped a hole thru the housing & partially into the bronze bearing to prevent the bearing from rotating in the housing. I added a grease fitting too but later learned it was easier to grease the post by dropping the rudder than it was to crawl inside the locker to grease the fitting. Gaskets sealed with gasket cement are between the top and bottom sections of the bearing housing on the lower housing. I didn't think a gasket was necessary on the upper housing.
Ray, I installed plain bronze bearings, 2-1/2" long. I purchased the bearings from a bearing distributor. I couldn't find the exact size so I had to bore them out on a lathe. I made the bearing housings from scratch. Each bearing housing has a top & bottom section. The bottom part holds the bearing and is attached (fiber-glassed)to the hull. The top holds the bearing in place and is attached to the rudder tube. The top & bottom are bolted together with 4 threaded bolts. To make the bearing housings, I filled 2 tin cans with resin & fiberglass mat to make round solid bars about 4" diameter x 4" high. On a lathe, I bored the bars to the same dimension of the bearing ID. I also drilled holes for the bolts. Next I cut the 4" length to produce a 1" long piece and a 3" long piece. The 3" piece was then re-bored to the OD of the bearing and the 4 holes were tapped to accept the bolts. The 1" piece was bored out to the OD dimension of the rudder tube and the 4 holes were bored to allow the bolts to go thru without interference. In the side of the bottom part of the bearing housings I drilled & tapped a hole thru the housing & partially into the bronze bearing to prevent the bearing from rotating in the housing. I added a grease fitting too but later learned it was easier to grease the post by dropping the rudder than it was to crawl inside the locker to grease the fitting. Gaskets sealed with gasket cement are between the top and bottom sections of the bearing housing on the lower housing. I didn't think a gasket was necessary on the upper housing.
Plug the Post!
You should plug the inside of the post to prevent water from entering the rudder. It took me a while to figure out how the rudder was filling with water while the boat was on the hard. Standing water on the seat was high enough to enter the bolt hole and fill the rudder. If it freezes it will split the rudder.
You should plug the inside of the post to prevent water from entering the rudder. It took me a while to figure out how the rudder was filling with water while the boat was on the hard. Standing water on the seat was high enough to enter the bolt hole and fill the rudder. If it freezes it will split the rudder.
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