The metal support bracket that stabilizes the worm gear unit has rusted away where it connects to the inner-hull at the stern of my boat. Anyone have any experience fabricating a repair for this?
mepoole@bellsouth.net
CD30K Steering
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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David Rowland
Re: CD30K Steering
I had one fabricated out of stainless for about $80 locally. I'll be glad to share my design with anyone that's interested. Email me with your street address and I'll send a copy along.
David Rowland
CD30K Glad
Norfolk, VA
rowlandda@nswccd.navy.mil
David Rowland
CD30K Glad
Norfolk, VA
rowlandda@nswccd.navy.mil
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Dale Weston
Re: CD30K Steering
I believe that this is a fairly common problem. I made a replacement piece roughly as follows:
- Removed worm-gear assembly and box.
- Unbolted the vertical plate from the boat. The corrosion was mainly in the angle at the base of the plate which was not totally severed. A few modest twists, and it was off.
- I found that the portion of the plate that's attached to the rudder post was mostly OK away from the angle at the cockpit wall. I decided to fabricate a 1/4" plate that would sister to the underside of the existing plate.
-- I calculated the angle required and the width and length of a 'U' shaped slot for one end needed to fit the rudder post.
-- The overall width was the same as the original. The overall length allowed the piece to cover the same area as the original.
I used the original back piece as a template for drilling the holes for the transom portion so that I could use the original holes on the boat.
Getting the exact angle for the piece is not difficult. The machine shop will get it close. Then, it's a matter of final fitting. I found that a big hammer and some 4"x4" stock allowed "fine tuning."
Once the angle was right and the piece secured to the boat with new bolts and larger washers in the original holes, I then drilled six holes (three per side) through the old portion on top of the rudder post and through the new plate. I used some high strength bolts and cranked them down.
Stuff I learned:
- I used standard mild steel plate but I primed and painted my new piece and the portion of the old on the rudder post very well with Easypoxy. I figure it'll last another 20 years or so. . .
- I used a good bit of resin to fill in the cuts in the cockpit floor and wall that the factory never got around to. I was lucky, no serious deterioration.
- If you haven't already, check the upside down U bracket that supports the aft end of the steering assembly. I fixed that at the same time. (There's a series of posts, I believe, in the archives that cover that issue.
- The cost is pretty modest. The machine shop charged me $20 for the plate and I bought the six nuts and bolts.
- On reassembling the steering gear, I first found it really tight and hard to turn. I created an alignment problem by tapping the assembly too low on the post. Once I discovered this, I tapped around until I had it just right (which was noticably freer and more responsive than before).
Good Luck, Dale
majortest@earthlink.net
- Removed worm-gear assembly and box.
- Unbolted the vertical plate from the boat. The corrosion was mainly in the angle at the base of the plate which was not totally severed. A few modest twists, and it was off.
- I found that the portion of the plate that's attached to the rudder post was mostly OK away from the angle at the cockpit wall. I decided to fabricate a 1/4" plate that would sister to the underside of the existing plate.
-- I calculated the angle required and the width and length of a 'U' shaped slot for one end needed to fit the rudder post.
-- The overall width was the same as the original. The overall length allowed the piece to cover the same area as the original.
I used the original back piece as a template for drilling the holes for the transom portion so that I could use the original holes on the boat.
Getting the exact angle for the piece is not difficult. The machine shop will get it close. Then, it's a matter of final fitting. I found that a big hammer and some 4"x4" stock allowed "fine tuning."
Once the angle was right and the piece secured to the boat with new bolts and larger washers in the original holes, I then drilled six holes (three per side) through the old portion on top of the rudder post and through the new plate. I used some high strength bolts and cranked them down.
Stuff I learned:
- I used standard mild steel plate but I primed and painted my new piece and the portion of the old on the rudder post very well with Easypoxy. I figure it'll last another 20 years or so. . .
- I used a good bit of resin to fill in the cuts in the cockpit floor and wall that the factory never got around to. I was lucky, no serious deterioration.
- If you haven't already, check the upside down U bracket that supports the aft end of the steering assembly. I fixed that at the same time. (There's a series of posts, I believe, in the archives that cover that issue.
- The cost is pretty modest. The machine shop charged me $20 for the plate and I bought the six nuts and bolts.
- On reassembling the steering gear, I first found it really tight and hard to turn. I created an alignment problem by tapping the assembly too low on the post. Once I discovered this, I tapped around until I had it just right (which was noticably freer and more responsive than before).
Good Luck, Dale
majortest@earthlink.net
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Joe Mac Phee
Re: CD30K Steering Bracket
Mark,
The bracket to support the Edson steering on my ketch rusted through several years ago. I had a shop fabricate a stainless steel weldment to replace the rusted out part. It was not difficult and not expensive. While I was involved in the replacement I had occasion to make some related observations. The holes that had been made for the fiberglass tube for the rudder shaft where it penetrates the cockpit sole looked like it had been hacked out by someone who was very angry. There had been no attempt to seal the edges where the holes had been made. Further, the fiberglass tube was only supported at the bottom where it goes through the hull. I glassed the fiberglass rudder tube to the cockpit sole which sealed the ragged hole and supported the tube near the top.
My autopilot drive motor assembly (which is a chain drive on a sprocket below the worm gear) had experienced damage which appeared to be caused by salt water intrusion. By observing the staining around the rudder shaft and fiberglass tube, I hypothesized that the source of the salt water intrusuion was at the top of the fiberglass tube. In following seas, waves surging under the stern probably lifted salt water up the tube where it spilled over and onto the autopilot. I installled a stuffing box at the top of the shaft. After several years now, the interior of the teak box assembly is as clean as the day it was repaired and the autopilot is dry.
By the way, the other holes made in the cockpit walls for the worm gear assembly were made by the same broadaxe technology as the hole in the cockpit sole. I sealed the edges of these holes while I had the assembly apart.
Look around while you have things apart to see if you have some of the features that I observed.
Good hunting,
Joe Mac Phee
S/V Iolanthe
CD-30 K
jvmacphee@aol.com
The bracket to support the Edson steering on my ketch rusted through several years ago. I had a shop fabricate a stainless steel weldment to replace the rusted out part. It was not difficult and not expensive. While I was involved in the replacement I had occasion to make some related observations. The holes that had been made for the fiberglass tube for the rudder shaft where it penetrates the cockpit sole looked like it had been hacked out by someone who was very angry. There had been no attempt to seal the edges where the holes had been made. Further, the fiberglass tube was only supported at the bottom where it goes through the hull. I glassed the fiberglass rudder tube to the cockpit sole which sealed the ragged hole and supported the tube near the top.
My autopilot drive motor assembly (which is a chain drive on a sprocket below the worm gear) had experienced damage which appeared to be caused by salt water intrusion. By observing the staining around the rudder shaft and fiberglass tube, I hypothesized that the source of the salt water intrusuion was at the top of the fiberglass tube. In following seas, waves surging under the stern probably lifted salt water up the tube where it spilled over and onto the autopilot. I installled a stuffing box at the top of the shaft. After several years now, the interior of the teak box assembly is as clean as the day it was repaired and the autopilot is dry.
By the way, the other holes made in the cockpit walls for the worm gear assembly were made by the same broadaxe technology as the hole in the cockpit sole. I sealed the edges of these holes while I had the assembly apart.
Look around while you have things apart to see if you have some of the features that I observed.
Good hunting,
Joe Mac Phee
S/V Iolanthe
CD-30 K
jvmacphee@aol.com