Rudder woes, don't trust it!

May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
'84 model in good shape, including the friggin notorious Catalina kickup rudder, 3/8 pintles & gudgeons, spring steel "keeper".

Hadn't been to the boat in a week or so, slipped at a local sailing club here. Stopped by this week to check lines and WHOA! no rudder! (Now that is problematic, being pretty much an essential component on a sailboat, eh?)

Considered two options, either someone needed it more than me, OR it popped off in a recent blow. Slip is in 5' of water, mud bottom, poked the bottom below the transom with boat hook, sure enough something hard down there....masked up, found it, managed to get it on the dock, cleaned up and put it back on.

So.....absent buying a new Ruddercraft rudder (for now), anyone drilled thru the pintles for ringdings or other stopper/keeper method?
Fortunately this didn't occur whilst sailing, and the spring steel keeper is intact, but don't trust it!!!
 
Last edited:
Sep 30, 2013
3,535
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Dang, man. I'm sure glad you at least found it!

I don't remember our original rudder vividly enough to be of much help. :(
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,092
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
What failed ? Our original rudder was delaminating when we bought the boat, so we immediately bought a ruddercraft one. I gave some parts to a SBO member, and threw the rest in the trash. So, I don't fully recall how the original worked.

I do remember that spring steel thing (like the ones on a small dinghy if i remember correctly) and the fact the assembly was a corrosion inducing mix of metals.

It was the spring keeper that failed ?
Are the pintles long enough to cross drill one of them at the bottom and put a pin in ?
 
Last edited:
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
LR.....yea, exactly, thinking of drilling a pintle for a cotter or ringding if long enough as a quik fix. The spring steel keeper is intact, not bent....there is a touch of slop in the pintle/gudgeon fit from years of wear...add some crazy wave action (stern faces weather in slip), musta been the cause. Obviously, needs to be replaced/upgraded to the newer 1/2" version with bushings at a minimum......
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,092
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
@rpludwig. hehe I not only missed multiple typos, I also suggested to do what you mentioned in your post. Carry on. Clearly I needed coffee. :snooze:
 
Jan 4, 2021
8
Catalina by Jaguar (UK) Catalina 22 Swantown Marina, Olympia
So.....absent buying a new Ruddercraft rudder (for now), anyone drilled thru the pintles for ringdings or other stopper/keeper method?
Yes. I drilled the lower and use a SS hairpin cotter while sailing. I pull the rudder while in the slip since I'm on saltwater and still have the OEM wood kick-up rudder that's in great condition.
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Yes. I drilled the lower and use a SS hairpin cotter while sailing. I pull the rudder while in the slip since I'm on saltwater and still have the OEM wood kick-up rudder that's in great condition.
excellent, thank you!
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,535
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Ruddercraft uses a grooved pintle with a cotter clip. Might be easier to do than drilling the pintle?


IMG_1203.JPG
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
hmmmmm, that'd work!...any method to keep the damn thing on the boat!
 

Grotto

.
Feb 18, 2018
273
Catalina 22 Wilmington
Just ordered a unifoil rudder from ruddercraft, 6-8 week turn old rudder is a PITA heavy and the lock is not awesome
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,535
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Just ordered a unifoil rudder from ruddercraft, 6-8 week turn old rudder is a PITA heavy and the lock is not awesome
Congrats! :thumbup:

You'll find it's pretty dang cool to just yank on that rope and watch the rudder leap out of the water and park itself vertically. Give it one shove, and it's back down in the water ready to go. No shear pins to fiddle with, reduced weather helm, and no wood core to rot out. So, lots of pluses.

Unless you're willing to remove the rudder when trailering, you are kinda stuck with buying Ruddercraft's proprietary mast crutch. But it is a very nice crutch, widely extendable, and will last a lifetime.

I certainly wasn't happy when the pintles broke off my rudder, but apparently that's quite rare.
 
Oct 13, 2020
133
catalina C-22 4980 channel islands CA
I use one of these. I have used it 4 times so far and it works great. I still secure the rudder with a piece of 550 cord to add more pice of mind.


this pic is a similar device I am not sure who makes it
Dano
 

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Grotto

.
Feb 18, 2018
273
Catalina 22 Wilmington
Congrats! :thumbup:

You'll find it's pretty dang cool to just yank on that rope and watch the rudder leap out of the water and park itself vertically. Give it one shove, and it's back down in the water ready to go. No shear pins to fiddle with, reduced weather helm, and no wood core to rot out. So, lots of pluses.

Unless you're willing to remove the rudder when trailering, you are kinda stuck with buying Ruddercraft's proprietary mast crutch. But it is a very nice crutch, widely extendable, and will last a lifetime.

I certainly wasn't happy when the pintles broke off my rudder, but apparently that's quite rare.
I am so used to taking off the rudder I think I would twitch uncontrollably if I left it on while trailering. Plus already sprung for the other mast crutch, so no mast crutch for me. Rudder craft should make the top of the crutch with some rotation so you could motor under bridges.