Hi Joe,
haven't had any problems with rudder tipping up...I keep slack in that line b/c I like to be able to pull tiller up to move to other side.
The tiller is actually above that stern lifeline...
The actual problem with the rudder is that someone bolted it on backwards to the metal rudder head. See the notches in the back? And the thin edge is facing forward, thicker edge is facing aft.
Hi-larious, when I look at it now. I am assuming that the original bolt holes in the rudder are worn out or busted or something, and instead of buying a new rudder ($500+), they just turned it around and re-used it! Won't know until I take it all apart. Not sure if I can fill in the holes in the rudder and re-drill. There's a lot of pressure on the rudder blade sometimes.
Not sure about the bungee thing...do you have a pic? I am tempted sometimes to get rid of that stupid line, but really, I need it in case the rudder blade decides to pop up when sailing 8kts (just kidding).
I'll let you know what I find under the head plate...
I didn't even notice that Michelle! I wonder why they did that to the rudder blade? Michelle. Just take the rudder off the boat and place it on something like a picnic table so you can work on it.
Remove the pivot bolt and the rudder blade. Then slide the blade back in the right way. Insert the bolt again and check and see if the blade moves freely up and down in the metal case. When the blade is completely down, the flat spot on the upper bout of the rudder blade should be up against a Teak block inside the rudder head. You're going to have to break the habit of raising the tiller when you tack. I know. I have a friend who likes to do that too, but the truth of the matter is, you can't do that with these tip up rudders. You stand a pretty good chance of breaking the clam cleat under the tiller, the pendant line, or the tiller itself.
The PO probably had a problem with the pendant line getting caught in between the rudder blade and the metal case. It's a pure pain in the butt to have to reach down and straighten it out. Been there, done that many times. I'm not going to guarantee you that if you install the 3/16" Bungee cord to the pendant line and the second bolt under the tiller on the head, that the problem will disappear. I had to remove one of the casing plates and shave the blocks down a little to get it to close the gap a little and get the case to fit a shade tighter to the upper bout of the rudder blade. I took it through a trial or error type thing while working on it on the table until I finally got it so the line won't get caught. Today it works great! I only need to replace the Bungee every couple of years. They stretch out and lose their elasticity after a period of time. If the pendant line is worn and needs replacing, now is the time to do it. Theres a small plastic cap on the side of the blade in the area where the pendant line enters the blade. Just pop that cap and remove the figure eight knot in the line and replace the line.
My rudder has a few souped up modifications that I did to it many years ago. The tiller came off an O'Day 25 and it fits over the rudder head via two stainless steel plates. I had to make some stops to hold my tiller up. Also, because my tiller is wider than the stock tiller that came with my rudder, I had to raise my rudder head by lowering the pintles.
I have another pendant line that holds my rudder blade in the up position for when I leave my boat at the mooring. It gets pretty shallow at low tide on the river where I moor my boat. I've always launched my boat with the rudder on the transom, blade up, and the tiller tied off to center. So the rudder hold up line comes in handy on my boat. I'm telling you all this so you don't get confused when you see the pics of it. There isn't another one like it anywhere. My boat is a mongrel. It has more O'Day 25 parts in it than O'Day 222 parts.
OK. All you need is some 3/16" bungee cord, and some small stainless steel wire "C" clamps. They have a special tool to crimp them on, but you really don't need it. A pair of channel locks or heavy duty pliers will work for squeezing the crimps. The bungee cord wants to be about 12" long, from the end to the end of the loop. You'll want to crimp the loop after your get it around the bolt, though. Just measure 18" on the pendant line from where it exits the bottom of the rudder, and crimp the bungee to the pendant line. Have it so that the line and bungee are going in the same direction just like in the picture. Take a coat hanger or piece of wire and fish it down behind that Teak block in the rudder head and hook the Bungee cord and the pendant line to it and pull it up. There are two bolts under the tiller. The tiller wants to rest on the first bolt and the pendant line wants to go over the second bolt. The bungee also wants to be looped around that second bolt and crimped to itself. In other words, make the loop in the bungee after you get it around that bolt. Don't go by the picture of my rudder because it's different than yours. That's about it. If you have any problems let me know and I'll help you work them out. You can also email me if you like.
sailtrinkka1986@verizon.net I go on overnight cruises a couple of times a week, but I can get back to you in a day or so if you have any questions. Good luck and let me know how you make out.
Joe
P.S. If the winds are steady and not too strong, try to get used to steering while sitting on one side during tacks instead of moving to the high side. When the wind picks up, walk around the tiller or step over it instead of lifting it.
