Replacing the Rudder; "The Straw that Broke the (previous owners) Camel's Back"
The previous owner got this boat as a project boat and did some work as well as invested a bit of cash fixing whatever problems were big at the time.
On his last outing last summer, he got his boat stuck in some weeds within the Marina and in the course of maneuvering his boat, the rudder fell off.
That was when he decided to sell it (eventually to me...
)
When we bought the boat, the PO was in the process of trying to remove the rudder post from the boat. He told us a new rudder was going to be about $1000. When I looked at it, I figured I could probably make one myself for about $600
When I looked closely at the rudder, I figured it would cost even less as all I would need to do is purchase just the missing lower shaft and a new rudder plate. Then all I would need to do is machine a collet to connect the lower shaft to the top shaft and...Done!!. Or so I thought.
Then I had another idea.
Why not try to find the missing rudder and shaft?
I am a certified diver and I am also an advanced drone operator. Between flying over the marina and diving, I was sure I could find it.
Unfortunately, the marina, being as accommodating as they were, said "no". Diving in a Marina is not safe due to risk of electrocution from improperly wired boats. And flying over the marina would not be allowed unless I applied for a permit due to proximity of controlled airspace.
So back to “make a new one”. I sourced out a shaft and plate. Machining the collet would be a piece of cake from scrap brass I had kicking around. I thought I would take another look at the remaining shaft to make sure the collet would fit and soon realized that the PO had loosened the shaft retaining rings of the upper shaft. A closer look led me to realize that the shaft was beaten down about 2” from where it normally rests. This means the collet idea is no longer feasible as the nub would not be long enough to hold a collet once the shaft was returned to its proper position.
I would now need to remove the upper shaft and replace the entire assembly with a one-piece shaft, as well as make a new rudder plate.
The top part of the upper shaft has very specific machining. It is a squared-off top that allows the rudder tiller to hold the shaft securely, as well as a pair of drilled holes top and bottom that hold the brass shaft retaining collars.
Knowing the PO had a heck of a time trying to get the shaft out, I could see the top of the shaft was deformed from where it was beaten down in an attempt to force the shaft down and out.
I’m sure the PO didn’t realize that there was a packing gland holding the shaft in. I opened the packing gland and picked out the packing rings They were hard as a rock. What was worse, the deeper I went, the harder they got. I pulled out 6 rings. The shaft still would not come out because the top of the shaft was deformed. I took a grinder to the shaft, and gave the shaft one shot of WD-40 and the darned thing just fell out of the shaft and onto the gravel below.
Fast-forward a few days and I was in the process of sourcing the materials for a new shaft and rudder when I got a call from the Marina. They found my rudder!
I picked up the rudder and matched it up the upper shaft that I had in hand. It was then I discovered how poorly the upper shaft was made.
The upper shaft and rudder are mated through a pair of flanges. I discovered that the upper shaft and flange were poorly mated. (Sorry, I did not take a close-up photo) . Because it was so poorly welded, the darned thing was bound to fail (which it did).
So I cleaned it up and contacted a buddy of mine that could weld stainless.
He did an awesome job. The top of the flange/shaft is double fillet-welded. And the underside is equally well done. This should last for a few seasons.
Although the rudder is fixed, I don’t like how the current configuration is set up. I especially don’t like that the rudder is not to spec. The rudder is supposed to be supported top and bottom. I feel that the current configuration puts a lot of undue stress on the rudder flange as force is applied on the rudder by the prop, especially when the rudder is turned and the prop-blast is slamming against it.
I plan to install a lower support as shown in the photo below, but I will do that in a few years as the current fix should last a while.
