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Dropped Rudder Post

Willpatten

Member II
When I pulled my 38-200 for the winter here on Lake Champlain I noticed that the rudder post had dropped about 5/8 of an inch, exposing the s/s post between the top of the rudder and the hull. I'm not sure how that happened but I'd like to get confirmation of how the rudder post is attached to the boat before I start taking it apart.

There is a fiberglass housing that extends into the lazarette with a bronze flange that I think is a stuffing box. The manual talks about replacing the flax under that flange. The rudder post is secured to the steering quadrant with a hefty through-bolt and continus up to the cockpit sole for the emergency steering.

It appears that the steering quadrant rides on a sleeve around the rudder post that in turn rests on the bronze flange. Is that correct?

The only reason I can guess that the rudder shaft dropped was because the sleeve is worn down or that the hole through which the shaft is bolted to the quadrant is worn.

Any ideas or corrections before I start?
 

Albert Murphy

New Member
My Rudder has also dropped 1/2 inch

Since my 1989 38-280 also has a "dropped" rudder I was wondering what to do about it. Also haven't done any maintenance to the rudder or rudder post and wondered about how to grease things.
 

Brookelise

Member II
Drooped rudder post

We recently dropped our rudder on our Ericson 34, which has a similar rudder post assemby to that on the Ericson 38. I'd recommend dropping your rudder about 6 inches and taking a look at everything. Six inches will allow you to remove the spacer sleeve that you mention. I posted a note titled "Rudder packing on E34" recently, with directions on how to drop the rudder. There are some pictures there, too, showing the rudder packing gland and the spacer. It sounds to me like the spacer below your quadrant might be worn. You should replace the packing in the rudder packing gland, too, with Teflon flax packing.

To lower the rudder, prop it up from underneath (on land, of course) and loosen the steering cables (two sets of double nuts). Then loosen the two small bolts near the circumference of the quadrant (they help to hold the two sides of the quadrant together). Then loosen the three bolts on the rudder packing gland. (Some glands have four bolts.) Then remove the large bolt going through the rudder shaft and quadrant (while the rudder is resting on something, so it can't fall). Finally, loosen the four large bolts near the center of the quadrant (also holding the quadrant together). It's easier to remove the large bolt through the quadrant if you loosen the four bolts on the quadrant last. The reason is that those four bolts help hold up the rudder, and you can remove the large bolt through the quadrant without the weight of the rudder resting on it.

Before you remove the black spacer above the packing gland to open up the gland, you might want to prop up or tie up the quadrant so it doesn't fall.
 

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Cory B

Sustaining Member
That 34 rudder post looks quite a bit different than what we have on our 35-3. Our quadrant sits almost directly on top of the rudder tube, with just a nylon(delrin?) ring about a quarter inch thick or so in between. I think there is room for a larger spacer, but nothing of that size.
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
FWIW, my E38 has maybe 1/2" of play up or down in the rudder stock/rudder tube assembly. There is a thin plastic washer between the rudder and hull and another under the quadrant that is directly above the packing nut. RT
 
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