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Problem Solving = Boat Ownership

Grizz

Grizz
The 'New Rudder Problem Solving Conundrum' creeps towards conclusion, with a new rudder having shipped from Santa Ana CA Monday, destined for Ludington MI, delivering Friday at a time TBD [with an 'early' delivery being far better than 'later']. The components of the 'How do You Install a Rudder with the Boat In the Water? problem to be solved are:

  • 150# rudder [stated shipping weight, including crate]
  • 8' water depth in the slip
  • Hull rudder orifice @ 8" above water surface
  • overall rudder length (rudder + tube) = 8'
  • soft mud bottom
  • 65° F water temp (that's a guess, but it ain't warm)
  • leverage for insertion gained how?
  • the boat will not be hauled for this procedure (obviously)
  • supplies, tools and parts staged include: a 6' step ladder and weights to 'sink' the ladder beneath the stern, a 'pouch' sewn to the shape/size, with grommets, for the bottom of the rudder, additional nylon slings, wet suits

Hoping for a successful conclusion to this saga by noon Friday EDT. Stay tuned.

20170804_143839.jpg
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
I'm curious... will you be able to do it without the top of the rudder tube going in the water? I'd be concerned about water filling the tube during the process (and being hard to get back out...)

PS - that new rudder has a great shape!
 

Grizz

Grizz
Foam filled tube (or 'tube, foamed filled')

Because it's impossible to assure that the top of the rudder won't become submerged, so Finco Fabrication filled the tube with foam, cheap & lightweight insurance against water ingress into the tube.

With this insurance, the rudder can be lowered (somehow) into the water and oriented for insertion w/o concern for THAT complication. There are plenty of others remaining...

As to 'the shape', it's a stock Cal 40 rudder, slung under an Olson 34, which the West coast guys figured out quickly was more optimal than the barn door George Olson drew for the prototype. Deeper bite upwind, not squirrely offwind.
 
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Bolo

Contributing Partner
No haul out!

I'm confused!! Why not haul the boat out for this procedure? Wouldn't it be a lot easier and offer a better chance of success. Makes sense to me unless I'm missing something. :confused:
 

GrandpaSteve

Sustaining Member
I'm curious... will you be able to do it without the top of the rudder tube going in the water? I'd be concerned about water filling the tube during the process (and being hard to get back out...)

PS - that new rudder has a great shape!

That rudder shape is reminiscent of one of my old windsurfing longboard Curtis fins.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Having participated in a few underwater fiasc.. er jobs, I'd recommend sinking the ladder and/or other work platform a day ahead of time. (We used to use straight ladders with short legs welded on at right angles, so the ladder made a horizontal platform above the sediment. ) You do not want to be stirring up sediment on the day that you're working down there, if at all possible.

I'd also try testing the buoyancy of the rudder a day ahead of time. I know it's hard to believe, but they're supposed to float - how much weight do you need to achieve neutral buoyancy? Or alternatively, how many floaties? I'd rig it all up with something like a barrel hitch and practice turning the assembly to the proper orientation.

Can you seal up the end with tape and have room to remove said seal from the installed position?

Thinking more about it, I'd guess that you might need a float on the end of the shaft and a weight on the rudder blade to get the orientation that you need. Or it might be easier than that. Hence the testing. Once inserted, if you had something like a lift bag you could just power it up into place. Maybe even a manually-inflatable PFD.
 
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bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
stock Cal 40 rudder

Stock, as in, the Carl Schumacher re-design that became a class-legal option after pretty much the whole SoCal fleet switched to it?

The OEM cal-40 rudder was decidedly *not* a graceful set of elliptical curves...

cal-40.JPG
 

Grizz

Grizz
Back in business!

Quick update: the rudder was delivered by the freight company to Lake Street Marina @ 4 PM EDT Monday, 2 of us arriving @ 5:20 PM EDT. The rudder install was completed by 9 PM, with only a few unexpected snags; the pre-planning and ‘what if?’ sessions helped a lot. No time to beef up the Finco Fabrication supplied barrier coat, no FW-21 anti-fouling coat, stubbed in by the diver (Scuba Steve) with 2 of us inside a confined space, orienting, spinning, drilling and tightening. Ugh.

We departed Ludington 6:40 AM CDT Tuesday morning on a 202° heading and were docked at Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago @1:20 AM CDT Wednesday, a duration of 18h 40m. We motor sailed the entire distance with a #2 headsail, off wind quartering initially on starboard gybe, headsail contributing .25-.75 estimated. Boat speed of 7.2-9.2 seen on GPS. 1 gybe to port, wind freshened to 12-14, building following seas, 10.4 surfing boat speed seen. Comfortable, if 'comfortable' with only 2 onboard is possible. Warm, no hot temps, no chance of rain, very few clouds = a perfect weather window. 3 of the 4 5-gallons jerry cans transferred along the way, loaded on top of the estimated 7+ gallons already in the tank.

Hauling the boat in Ludington was not an option, as the nearest haulout is Pentwater MI 12.5 nm to the south or Manistee 25 nm to the north, both requiring a tow.

It's a relief to be back on the water. The recovery from the mental and physical strain begins today!

Here's the city on our approach Wednesday morning and Scuba Steve ready to stub it into the tube.
Wednesday AM Approach.jpgScuba Steve.jpg
 
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p.gazibara

Member III
I pulled and reassembled ours here in the marina in Seattle. The water is ~40' deep, so no ladder option. My rudder just floated, but of course, in the wrong orientation. I dropped a rope through the rudder shaft and pulled enough out that I could tie it to the rudder on the dock.

I used a bolt that was less than the width of the rudderstock with two nuts that prevented the bolt from falling out and slung the rope through he bolt hole that holds the tiller head to the rudder.

i jumped in and hung on the rudder while Ava and the neighbor pulled on the rope in the cockpit.

It was was a challenge to line orient the rudder correctly in the water (it want to float upside down) but I ended up hanging from the cockpit drain exit hole with one hand while I used my feet to hold the rudder in the right orientation and my free hand to align the rudder shaft. As I got it aligned, the crew in the cockpit pulled up the slack in the rope and in the rudder went.

it was a bit of an acrobatic job and not as quick and easy as I described it.

I waited for the warmest part of the day. I might recommend putting on some tea before you jump in.

Glad to hear it's in!

-p
 

Grizz

Grizz
Slip & Slope = a good thing

Upon further review:

  • the slip we were in had a lakebed incline, shallower towards land. We spun the boat, stern in, and used the springs to adjust to what was thought an optimal depth. No ladder needed (although we had 1 ready). It wasn't necessary to pre-immerse the rudder. Buoyancy was in effect, although top heavy. The pre-sewn boot and grommet pouch for the bottom helped a lot, as we were able to tie it into position once stubbed in.
  • Drilling the holes to attach quadrant to the tube: 1/8", 3/16", 1/4" and up until final-final diameter was achieved...on both sides...took time. We used the quadrant as a guide, 1st with a large diameter bit to 'dimple' the rudder tube, then a center punch to make the 'dimple' deeper, then began with the 1/8" and successively larger bits, nursing and careful to NOT snap the bit. 3:1 oil was used to lube the bits.
  • If we had chamfered the upper outer edge of the tube, around the circumference, it's possible the tube would have slid past the flax of the stuffing. We didn't, it didn't and wouldn't have, ever, so we had to dissemble the flange, insert the tube in stages, and rebuild the flax in the stuffing box. 30+ minutes not anticipated. Ugh.
  • Of course the grease gun ran out of grease after only 8 squeezes. Of course the replacement cartridge didn't fit. Murphy lives!
  • When it came time to tighten the cables, I invoked the guidance on "how tight" I received when I called Edson 10+ years ago: not too tight, not too loose. True story...
  • All the above upside down, squeezed into tight spaces, with abnormal ergonomics in play, muscle cramping a byproduct. Double ugh!


That should brings things up to speed. Take care.
 
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