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I have just sold my . The treasurer quietly said that one boat is enough to have at any moment in time. When I was packing it up with the new owners, I decided to take off the rudders and store them in the cockpit rather than put the second bolt through. When they were off I noticed that the stainless plates that hold the rudders vertical had flared out considerably.

This means that the rudders would flop over from side to side before they actually started to steer. The bolt hole in the rudder is not bushed and so the glass had worn to allow this movement. I replaced one of the rudders 8 months ago and so it wore in a short time.

This might explain why my steering felt loose and spongy.

I don't reckon straightening the plates out would solve the problem; the leverage of the rudder is too great. I reckon that it is either new, thicker plates or some reinforcing braces welded on.

Check yours out.

I had solved both issues prior to a hydraulic upgrade that I did last spring. The hinge bolt was snugged in with a SS pipe, sized to have minimal clearance, and epoxied into a drilled-out hole in the blade.

The bracket had SS bracing's added top and bottom, welded into place while clamped parallel, as if the rudder was tightened in.

While this work (and other) all but eliminated any original play and flex in my system, it would have to be a pretty big force or very loose rudders to significantly bend these plates outwards. I haven't heard anyone else mention this with an

So what's your remaining boat?

Ross

My rudder brackets are both flared. I put extra large fender washers on both ends of the pivot bolts however I have noticed the locknuts loosen. I've tightened mine several times and now have two nuts on each, and they still get loose.
Next time I have the boat out I'll go over the rudder system now that I see it's issues. I think it's important to keep the nuts so tight that the blades are stiff going up and down.

Ixneigh

Ixneigh wrote:My rudder brackets are both flared. I put extra large fender washers on both ends of the pivot bolts however I have noticed the locknuts loosen. I've tightened mine several times and now have two nuts on each, and they still get loose.
Next time I have the boat out I'll go over the rudder system now that I see it's issues. I think it's important to keep the nuts so tight that the blades are stiff going up and down.

Ixneigh

Elastic stop nuts wear out and should be replaced after they are screwed on and off a few times.

Bob

I have noticed that my brackets have flared out as well. I trued them up somewhat with a C-clamp (with the rudders off). Having the pivot bolt tight seems critical.

Don't forget to put either some teflon/nylon thin sheet stock cut to size or old CD's (have been used by others) as big, full contact washers between the rudders and the SS brackets.
Perhaps even a little lube of some sort wouldn't hurt.

Tight, but not to tight, is the ticket to eliminate just one of the many factory rudder slop points.

Raising/lowering the rudders with the lines should be a semi chore, not a breeze.

Also, check that the rudder stop bolt adjustment allows for a perfect vertical when fully down.
(Hard to do on the trailer- runs out of room with the ground unless you dig some holes)


Crikeys welded Mod certainly can't hurt if you have the means, but it seems like overkill and not a real big failure point, IMHO only.
(No offense meant to Crikey).

How about one of those AOL CDs they used to mail out for all time......lube with XD100 of course...

Hardcrab wrote:Don't forget to put either some teflon/nylon thin sheet stock cut to size or old CD's (have been used by others) as big, full contact washers between the rudders and the SS brackets.
Perhaps even a little lube of some sort wouldn't hurt.

Tight, but not to tight, is the ticket to eliminate just one of the many factory rudder slop points.

Raising/lowering the rudders with the lines should be a semi chore, not a breeze.

Also, check that the rudder stop bolt adjustment allows for a perfect vertical when fully down.
(Hard to do on the trailer- runs out of room with the ground unless you dig some holes)


Crikeys welded Mod certainly can't hurt if you have the means, but it seems like overkill and not a real big failure point, IMHO only.
(No offense meant to Crikey).

None taken!
Like my Admiral says to me often "Why do you always use a sledge hammer, when a simple claw will do!"

Actually the method to my madness grew out of the additional flexing that would occur from me dropping the rudders an additional two inches as well as the maddening play that the entire system represented at the helm.
I've also tried the CD/DVD gap fix, and had welded my reinforcing plates into position with them factored into the final positioning, but they began to shatter very early, from UV exposure. I will replace them with some kind of teflon sheet, cut to size, in the spring.
As I pointed out in an earlier post, the running pressures on a rudder blade must be (considerably?) higher than when properly positioned in a vertical orientation. I can't see bending unless that has happened, or the bolt(s) have been allowed to remain too loose. I noticed large differences between mine, as well as neither of them being properly straight up and down (by a matter of inches!).

Ross

Catigale wrote:How about one of those AOL CDs they used to mail out for all time.....

You mean you no longer use AOL You'll NEED those updates

Rick

PS I still have 3 AOL screen names

OMG! It'll be Wayne Newton next

Look! Let's not go mixing up the vicissitudes of CD's over DVD's

Don't we have enough problems! ..... Sheesh!

CD DVD XD

pokerrick1 wrote: PS I still have 3 AOL screen names

Everybody still has 3 AOL screen names. There's no way to get rid of them.

Blue Ray

Catigale wrote:CD DVD XD

WE BOUGHT OUR 2012 MACGREGOR 26M AT THE FACTORY LAST OCT.
DONE AS MUCH SAILING AS TIME PERMITS. ONLY FOUND ONE THING ANNOYING ABOUT THIS BOAT. AND I RESEARCHED IT THORIUGHLY FOR TWO YEARS BEFORE OWNING IT.
THAT BOAT WILL NOT KEEP A STEADY COURSE. WITH CALM SEAS AND GOOD WIND WE SET THE SAILS AND HEAD FOR A DECIDED POINT OF DISTANT LAND.
YET IT IS NECESSARY TO CONSTANTLY COMPENSATE AT THE WHEEL.
IVE OWNED OTHER CENTERBOARD BOATS.
THE BOATS OBEYED THE RUDDERS.
ON A MAC 26M, WHAT CAN BE CAUSING THE BOAT TO NOT BE GOING EXACTLY WHERE WE WANT TO GO.
APPRECIATE ANY