Rudder Blade Hangs Up.

Submitted by Jsparkes on Tue, 04/29/2014 - 10:53
Forums: 
Maintenance, Repairs, Changes, and Upgrades

My rudder blade will not drop without substantial force. Similarly, to raise the blade while in the water is nearly impossible without a two hand tug, ocassionally leading to a unwelcomed dunking. I have tried loosening the wing nut to the bolt that holds the blade in the housing, and have disassembled the blade from housing, light sanded and oiled the metal, yet nothing has helped. The boat was used in salt water for 5 years prior to my purchase of it for fresh water sailing. The ocean scum and salt residue have been removed from the blade as much as possible. I ipurchased a FS rudder lift, yet feel it will be useless to install until this problem is solved. Anyone have a similar issueand/or suggested remedy?
Jim SparkesFS 5393
 
 

Big Dave

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 07:50

Jim,
I have the same issue with my new (to me) Flying Scot.  It seems the blade binds up increasingly as is pivots down.  I suspect some tightness is necessary to help keep it down while sailing but it was too tight for ease of operation.  I cleaned out the slot then cleaned and waxed the aluminum blade.  This helped on my rudder.
Good Luck,
Dave

Julian

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 09:41

Have you checked to see it it has been bent slightly ? May want to take it off and look along the edge.

Jsparkes

Sat, 05/10/2014 - 17:15

Julian:
Good suggestion. Thanks for the reply.
Jim

jonkorin

Thu, 06/05/2014 - 19:08

I have the rudder lift kit which is quite handy for wet sailing.      But I did run into the same issue.    I got this suggestion from Harry at Flying Scot:
It sounds like the slot has tightened up for some reason. If you have tried lubrication with wax etc. and it is still tight, the only fix is to sand the slot a bit wider. I have done this with a piece of 1/4" plywood cut to a 36" X 4" rectangle. I glue a piece of coarse grit paper to each side to make what amounts to a really big file. With the blade out and the head in a vise, I sand on the slot until the blade fits well and moves freely.
Also, I have had to replace the shock cord on the lift kit.