Removing the rudder

[Survivor]

I think I have a bent rudder on my Lancer 25 and need to drop it. Outside of removing the bolts at the tiller head, is there anything else I need to do?

[MIKEMCKEE]

I had a Morgan 27 and the same thing happened to me. I took the rudder off while it was still in the water. I just undid the tiller bolts and with the help of a pole, just ppushed it out of the rudder hole. It floated up the surface. I then took it home where I cut away the fiberglass to where it was below the bend in the shaft, I then cut off the excess shaft and had a sleave and a new shaft welded on to the rest of the good shaft that was in the rudder. Afer that I filled in the area I cut out with really stiff foam and reglassed the whole thing to about 1/3 of the way down the rudder.
You'll find that the really fun starts when you go to put the rudder back in the little hole where it belongs. The reglassed rudder is very hard to get back in since it wants to float. My son got in the water and I put a line on the top of the rudder pole to help guide the top into the hole, needless to say it looks a lot easier that it is. If you can while your at the shop getting the shaft welded have the new shaft cut to the correct length you'll need and have the bolt holes drilled, It's a lot easier to have it done there than trying to do it your self.

Best of luck,

Mike
s/v Blue Bayou

[saurav16]

I have a catalina rudder that cracked and took in water. If that is the case the buoyancy may not be neutral and it may sink... So be careful...

[MIKEMCKEE]

When I was prepairing to pull the rudder out I didn't know if it would float or not also, so I rigged a piece of carpet around the rudder and wove a piece of line along the open side and bottom, sort of making a bag to go around the rudder. I then tied another piece of line to the bag to hold onto in the boat. So if you prepair it this way you've got your self covered.

P.S. Let me know how it went.

Good Luck,

Mike
s/v Blue Bayou

[bluwateronly]

Just a quiick note. If the boat is like my old Ericson26 when you drop the rudder you have a big hole in your boat so be prepared to plug it I know you must have thought of this but just in case.