Rudder problem

[Lee]

Like on an earlier post, my rudder twists and wobbles too. I drilled out the sleeve that the bolt goes through and replaced it with a nylon insert. I also put JB Weld around the sleeve. I put the upper part and lower together again. (I have he 3 inch nylon washer in place). Tighten the nuts so that the rudder will just come up when I loosen the rope. To my frustration, the thing still wobbles and twists. I thought about replacing the nylon washers with stiffer ones. I can't find heavier 3 inch nylon washers. I also thought about putting a second sleeve in another spot and tighten the orginal and new bolts down so that the rudder won't come up. I would like to hear any other ideas. This has become a pain in the butt for me!

 

[mike]

Hmmmmmmmmmm...........

Mine don't wobble.................but someone suggested using CDs for washers. And I don't mean Certificates of Deposit.

 

[Ron Stephanson]

H23 Rudder

not sure of your exact problem. have you checked the rudder bracket? mine had all holes badly walloed out, and cracks. Had it welded and reinforced, works great, also did the rudder repairs you did + foam/glass repairs,fairing,epoxy barrier coat. PS---graphite powder makes for a great final epoxy coat---BUT the black ,when left uncovered,absorbs heat, causing the foam to expand,resulting in cracked epoxy

 

[Hayden Jones]

Is this keeping you awake at night?

I notices that the article was posted at 4:41 AM. I know sailing is a major part of out lives, but it's supposed to relax you. If your rudder doesn't have a pressure bolt like my 23.5, maybe you should install one. It's a bolt that runs through the rudder housing ( it is not the pivot bolt that you described above) and it has a big time thumb screw (more like a whole hand screw). that can be tightened to: 1. keep the rudder from rising up and 2. eliminate wobble.Also between the housing and the rudder, there is some 1/4 inch rubber pad that keep the rudder from rising and clunking about. I sail in a shoal (fortunately sand) area so I keep the screw a bit loose and get some wobble. When I tighten it in deeper water, no wobble. Good luckHayden