Oday 31 question

[sailingcal21]

Yup, looks like your rudder has the same disease as mine did.

There's a good chance that the stock is not filling up as you suspect. If you pull the rudder and inspect the interface between the stock and the rudder you'll probably find that there is a gap. One school of thought is that the rudder post fills by water entering through that gap and fills the tube from the bottom up. If you consider the amount of water (Karma pee'd a steady stream for 5-10 minutes when I punched a couple of holes at the stock end with a dremel tool) its hard to believe that condensate would be the source.

In either case if you fill the tube with closed-cell foam by pouring the foaming liquid down the tube you'll prevent it from filling from any source.

Scott

[Flfishindude]

What is the correct procedure for servicing the rudder and cables? Grease fittings? I haven't even thought about service to that area.... but sure understand why it would be necessary. Also would someone give me the lengths of the emergency tiller so I can have one made. Width and depth of cutouts would also be very helpful. Thanks to all for all of the great info.

[jknappsax]

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a 1974 O'Day 32' CC, and while I know where to get to the rudder shaft (yes, I HAVE undone that one bolt to drop the rudder to do some fiberglass repair between the rudder and skeg), but since it is under the berth in the aft cabin, I'm not sure how the emergency tiller would have been designed to work for my boat. Anybody know? To rig one myself, I could use some kind of articulating arm to go through the aft companionway, or cut a hole in the cabin roof and install an access plate and make an emergency tiller to work that way, though I'm leery of drilling a 3" or 4" hole in the cabin roof of a perfectly dry aft cabin. I'm still fixing other leaks from various holes in the decks where the bedding is breaking down.

[deniseO30]

wow.. maybe it would be easier to get a rudder with tiller to hang on the transom with sure would easy to rig..... except someone would have to back there if you lost the steering. Yours is center cockpit?

[jknappsax]

Yes, the O'Day 32' and 37' of the early 70's were center cockpit. My 32' has a LOT of room below decks. There is a head with shower in the main saloon, and was a head in the aft cabin along with a vanity with a sink with hot and cold pressure water. The boat never had a holding tank, so the PO had the aft head removed, and a Dometic SeaLand head with a 9 gal. tank attached to the bowl. The boat was in pretty bad shape when I got her, but I'm getting there. BTW how do you like boating on the Delaware? I had a friend who kept his O'Day 23 at Winters Sailing Marina in Riverside, and friends who lived at Salem Harbor in Bensalem. The sailing there was nice. My boat is at Lankford Bay in Rock Hall, on the Chesapeake, and it's too expensive; nice, but pricey. I've been thinking about findng something on the Delaware, maybe Anchorage Marina behind Tinicum Island, in Essington. There seems to be a strong river current, and a lot of debris in the water in that area.

[deniseO30]

JK I like it.. don't love it up here but it's only 20mins from my house, and I can keep my 30ft boat at the club on the hard and moored in the river for less then $600 a yr. so it's a no brainer to belong to a YC. there are about 30 of them from Trenton to the Del Bay there's one in or near Essington also. The current books for sure! But it doesn't take long to learn how to use it rather then fight it. With the tide I can be in chesapeake city in 11 hours.