Will an Unbolted Rudder Assembly Plummet Into the Mud?

[rardiH36]

Probably an obvious question, but something for the knowledgeable to opine about:If I take off the through-bolt at the upper bearing on my rudder shaft, will the rudder/shaft assembly stay in place or will it slip down the tube and into the mud under my slip? Not that I won't put a clamp on the rudder shaft where it goes down through the tube before my project. And the clamped-on quadrant in any case would limit the max drop to about 3". But just in case, I am curious ... does the rudder assembly have positive buoyancy?The rudder is foam core with fiberglass skin. SS tube.

 

[Maine Sail]

Drop a weighted..

Drop a weighted line under the rudder then draw it tight cleat it off on the port and starboard stern cleats. Some rudders will sink and some will float. If your rudder stock is hollow, and light, it may float but if it's solid it may sink even with a foam core..

 

[Ross]

In order to be sure that the line is supporting the rudder

after you have the line where you think it should be either dive on it or at least swing the rudder while feeling the bridle line.

 

[rardiH36]

Good Info to Keep the Rudder in Place

Thanks all for the good info. The water at my berth is clear enough that I will be able to see that a rope draped around the rudder and pulled up tight to the stern cleats will be doing its job before I start my project. For Ed: Yes my rudder post tube/stuffing box configuration is similar to your picture. But not quite as the rudder/quadrant assembly was renewed about 1992. (I know this because still in the boat when I bought it was a log book from several PO's back. One entry recounted that all steering was lost off the coast of Mexico and the boat floated around in the Pacific for a day until it was towed into Ensinada. Must have been a slow repair -- or maybe the margaritas were good -- because the owner and the first mate stayed in port for a couple of weeks.) Above the quadrant on my boat, the tube goes through an upper collar/bushing which is mounted into a rectangular piece of marine grade plywood which in turn is screwed into the horizontal fiberglass that you would see when the stern seat aft of the pedestal is lifted. By removing the plywood piece's mounting screws and removing the pin that goes through the tube at the collar/bushing, I can pull the plywood/collar assembly up which then allows me relatively unconstrained access to inspect/adjust/lubricate/repair around the quadrant area. Main purpose of this project is that the port and starboard rudder stops aren't aligned correctly and I want to reposition one of them. I get slightly less than a full turn on the wheel to starboard vs. 1&1/3 turns to port. I expect that an extra 1/3 turn of the wheel to starboard and another few degrees on the rudder may make an a noticeable difference on the back-and-fill turning radius which could be important someday when I find myself in a bit of a bind in tight quarters.Ed: A different subject. How well does your boat (Cherubini 36?) do in reverse? Mine still has the specified stock two bladed propeller. Propeller wash in reverse comes out on the starboard side not much forward of prop and at an extreme angle. This immediately kicks the stern hard to port and the whole boat becomes hopelessly twisted in my slip well before enough speed is gained for the rudder to have any effect. Trying to get some backward momentum by initially applying short bursts of power in reverse and having the rudder a bit to starboard doesn't alter the situation much. Most of my sailing is solo. And because my most frequent crew member can't nimbly enough step up the 2+ feet from the dock after helping to guide the boat out and also isn't comfortable at the helm in tight quarters, I've instead taken to: Having the motor running but in neutral with the rudder centered (and lightly secured with the pedestal brake); me on the dock pushing the boat back until some backwards momentum is attained and she's about halfway out of the slip; and then stepping aboard to scamper back to the helm to engage reverse and complete the backwards arc. This process has been working fine ... until the day that I might stumble and not make it to the helm! rgards,rardi

 

[Captphil24]

The rudder should float

On my 27, the rudder floats. Problem was putting a new one in with the boat in the water. The 36 might be different.

 

[Don12364]

Reversing

I have heard it suggested to run the engine in reverse gear quite hard for a minute BEFORE letting go the last mooring line. The idea is to get water flow over the hull (and rudder) to make the boat act as if it was already moving through the water.Of course it needs a quick slipping of the line at the time of departure.Though my boat doesn't need this treatment, I too would like to know if this works. How about giving it a try and letting us all know?