cape dory 25 gudgeon

[OtterHill]

I'm new to sailboats and happened to buy an old CD25. Long story short, I've taken the gudgeon and heel (?) off, since the glass was corroded and the pins worse than that. I have two questions: One, I saw in some past discussions that some of the CD rudders need to be glassed around the rudder post; mine has no glass whatsoever around the post (just steel), yet feels solid. Do I need to remove the rudder and glass it, or are the rudders on the 25's different?

Next, I'm uncertain about how to reset new pins for the gudgeon. The old holes have been wowed-out. Do I need to refill them with epoxy, and redrill, or can I use bigger pins?

Apologies if this is beating a dead horse. I know this topic has been covered over and over, but I'm still unclear.

Thanks for any insights.

[Oswego John]

I saw in some past discussions that some of the CD rudders need to be glassed around the rudder post; mine has no glass whatsoever around the post (just steel), yet feels solid. Do I need to remove the rudder and glass it, or are the rudders on the 25's different?

If your rudder blade feels solid on the post, no, you don't have to glass around the post. Glassing around the post is more of a preventative measure than anything else. The rudder blade is made up of two pieces which are fused together around metal that transfers torque from the rudder post to the blade.

Because of age, abrasion contact with foreign underwater objects among other things, there is a tendency for the halves of the blade to open up and in time will separate the halves from each other. When the boat is moving forward, water pressure is driven between the leading edge of the halves and acerbates the rift. Glass tape across the leading edge of the halves to prevent water entry and its wedging effect necessitates the tape passing around the post. But no, it isn't absolutely necessary.

I'm uncertain about how to reset new pins for the gudgeon. The old holes have been wowed-out. Do I need to refill them with epoxy, and redrill, or can I use bigger pins?

In your case, I think that it might be better to fill the oversize holes and redrill them to receive the proper diameter rivets. There is an excellent post explaining the refitting of the gudgeon in the CD archives. Search for "gudgeon" which was posted by MarkA several years ago.

Good luck,
O J

[OtterHill]

Thanks a bunch. I'll check it out.

[OtterHill]

O J,

I looked through the archives and couldn't find the gudgeon discussion you mentioned--the one I found from MarkA was about a pin that I don't think I have on mine... unless I'm totally in the dark here. I'm needing to replace the three pins through the keel. My concern in doing so is getting the heel back into the exact spot it came from. I'm thinking that I need to first drill the existing holes bigger, then fill with thickened epoxy, then redrill. Would that small of a difference in heel position affect the rudder/post? I'm no engineer.

I've read mixed things about the gudgeon itself (the hole that the rudder post is set in). Mine is worn to an oval--some people say this is fine, some say not... Any thoughts?

Also, I discovered a hole above the keel, just forward of where the rudder post goes up through the hull. I thought it was cracked paint, then I thought it was cracked gel coat... But I was able to chip both away, and chip away some rotted glass--enough to stick a finger in. I can grind it and fill it easy enough, but the cause of the hole is what concerns me.

Thanks a bunch.

jon

[tartansailor]

Been there, done that.
If there is no fiberglass wrap around the tiller post, than chances are pretty good that your rudder will fall off
at the worst possible time.
Why?
Because the rudder is a sandwich wrapped around (3) 3/16" pins welded vertically to the post.
It is like shaking a glove off your fingers.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j19/t ... 0_0156.jpg

New Rudder
My new rudder is solid SS with a fiberglass cover.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j19/t ... 0_0157.jpg

Recommendation:
Pull the rudder; disassemble; weld a 3/16" rod connecting the existing pins.
This will stop the plastic portion of the rudder from sliding off.

Dick