Rudder Problems

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Doug Thomas

I have a '85 Cat30 TR which has had play at the top of the rudder post since I purchased it several years ago. Total lateral travel appears to be about 3/16". I have heard that, since there is no rudder bearing, mylar could be used to shim the post within the rudder tube. I have the mylar from an old tracing, but after I removed the through bolt in the emergency tiller receiver, the cap would not come off. Any suggestions? In addition to the above, and maybe related to it, the steering cables under the cockpit sole have shifted and pulled the fiberglass enclosure away from the underside of the cockpit sole. These rascals are quite reluctant to move and I am concerned that, if I simply add more screws to hold it in place, any future flexing of the cables will pop it back off. Again, any suggestions?
 
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J. C.

Rudder Fix

Check the Catalina 30 Association tech articles. West Marine has a good tech brochure on using West System epoxy and a graphite mixture which is injected into the rudder tube. I have personally done this with great results. The boat must be out of the water. You may have structural damage to the rudder tube. This can also be repaired and reinforced using the the west system epoxy and products.
 
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