I have a CD 30' CUTTER. I noticed a fair amount of "play" is developing in the location on the rudder where it connects to the lowest aft portion of the keel. I had a repairman in La Paz look at it and he said that it is not "critical" as of now but should be addressed in the near future. I am hoping that someone is familiar with this problem...and can offer some repair tips and recommendations. Specifically, what is the recommended way of removing the rudder....after disconnection of the post from the steering...i am not able to move the rudder up high enough in order that the lower connection comes off what i would imagine is a lower "bushing"... if there even is one. Would it be prudent to just drill small holes on the outside of the rudder where the connection is loose and fill the area of "play" by injecting epoxy resin. The rudder itself is not displaying any lack of structural integrity; the only problem is about a sixteenth inch or so of play at the aforementioned location.
ktjahn@hotmail.com
cape dory 30' rudder repair
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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len
Re: cape dory 30' rudder repair
kevin
check prior posts and feel free to email me directly
i had the same problem - after a few years of looseness, it finally went totally loose and before last season i pulled the rudder and fixed the whole thing
the bottom of the rudder has a gudgeon (a bronze sleeve in the rudder itself) and there is a pintle at the bottom of the keel (a bronze shoe bolted in to the keel and covered with fiberglass, in the shoe there is a stainless pin that goes into the gudgeon)
i don't think any temporary solution is possible but it's such a big job to fix (requires the pintle to be removed, the prop shaft pulled, the pin fixed back in the pintle etc) that i wouldn't do it until it is much worse - check during the season by diving down if you can -
the pin cannot possibly fall out of the pintle no matter how loose it gets and the rudder is held in at the top as added security
len
md.frel@nwh.org
check prior posts and feel free to email me directly
i had the same problem - after a few years of looseness, it finally went totally loose and before last season i pulled the rudder and fixed the whole thing
the bottom of the rudder has a gudgeon (a bronze sleeve in the rudder itself) and there is a pintle at the bottom of the keel (a bronze shoe bolted in to the keel and covered with fiberglass, in the shoe there is a stainless pin that goes into the gudgeon)
i don't think any temporary solution is possible but it's such a big job to fix (requires the pintle to be removed, the prop shaft pulled, the pin fixed back in the pintle etc) that i wouldn't do it until it is much worse - check during the season by diving down if you can -
the pin cannot possibly fall out of the pintle no matter how loose it gets and the rudder is held in at the top as added security
len
md.frel@nwh.org
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Bill Goldsmith
Re: cape dory 30' rudder repair
Your description lead me to think you may need to investigate the pintle and gudgeon setup rather than the rudder itself, maybe both. To remove the rudder you have to grind away cured resin below the rudder on the aft lower corner of the keel. You will expose a pintle that removes with some screws. You'll need to dig a hole deep enough to lower the rudder so the shaft clears the hull. If you are on asphalt or concrete, you'll need to put it in the slings and lift it. To reinstall the rudder you have to reinstall the pintle and then re-glass (or epoxy) over the fitting.
If your play is only 1/16" thay may indicate wear in the hole at the bottom of the rudder that sits over the pintle. As long as the rudder shaft seems firmly ensconced in the rudder (no play at the top) then the rudder is probably structurally okay. CD did not core its rudders and there is no welded structure inside to fail--at least on my 27, the rudder is a solid resin buildup around the curved bottom of the rudder shaft. There is no cavity to fill with water (although that does not preclude the possibility of cavities due to delamination). But that does not sound like what you are describing.
The amount of work necessary remove the rudder seems unnecessary unless further inpection gives cause for concern. Maybe others can suggest a method to reduce the play short of pulling the rudder.
Bill Goldsmith
CD27#173
Second Chance
goldy@bestweb.net
If your play is only 1/16" thay may indicate wear in the hole at the bottom of the rudder that sits over the pintle. As long as the rudder shaft seems firmly ensconced in the rudder (no play at the top) then the rudder is probably structurally okay. CD did not core its rudders and there is no welded structure inside to fail--at least on my 27, the rudder is a solid resin buildup around the curved bottom of the rudder shaft. There is no cavity to fill with water (although that does not preclude the possibility of cavities due to delamination). But that does not sound like what you are describing.
The amount of work necessary remove the rudder seems unnecessary unless further inpection gives cause for concern. Maybe others can suggest a method to reduce the play short of pulling the rudder.
Bill Goldsmith
CD27#173
Second Chance
KEVIN T. JAHN wrote: I have a CD 30' CUTTER. I noticed a fair amount of "play" is developing in the location on the rudder where it connects to the lowest aft portion of the keel. I had a repairman in La Paz look at it and he said that it is not "critical" as of now but should be addressed in the near future. I am hoping that someone is familiar with this problem...and can offer some repair tips and recommendations. Specifically, what is the recommended way of removing the rudder....after disconnection of the post from the steering...i am not able to move the rudder up high enough in order that the lower connection comes off what i would imagine is a lower "bushing"... if there even is one. Would it be prudent to just drill small holes on the outside of the rudder where the connection is loose and fill the area of "play" by injecting epoxy resin. The rudder itself is not displaying any lack of structural integrity; the only problem is about a sixteenth inch or so of play at the aforementioned location.
goldy@bestweb.net
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Bob Loewenstein
Re: cape dory 30' rudder repair
Is this true for all cape dories? I ask because I've always worried about water possibly being in the rudder during winter storage, although I've never had a problem with our 27.Bill Goldsmith wrote: There is no cavity to fill with water (although that does not preclude the possibility of cavities due to delamination).
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len
Re: cape dory 30' rudder repair
kevin
i reread your post - the pin in the pintle is fixed permanently into the shoe, the rudder rotates around that - you definitely cannot fix the problem by injecting anything in the rudder to try to hold the pin tight in the rudder, it won't work and will make the problem worse
len
md.frel@nwh.org
i reread your post - the pin in the pintle is fixed permanently into the shoe, the rudder rotates around that - you definitely cannot fix the problem by injecting anything in the rudder to try to hold the pin tight in the rudder, it won't work and will make the problem worse
len
md.frel@nwh.org