rudder bearing specs

[Mike]

here's an update about rudder bearings.. and rudder re-builds..

I ended up getting vesconite. They are imperial sizes, 1.25/1/2 (od/id/length).
They fit perfectly without any further machining. I used just a little epoxy to stick them in, although they are made to be a firm fit, so would probably hold themselves in place OK. To install I tapped lightly with a block of wood.

I also ended up completely rebuilding the rudder blade, which had had water in it for a while, at my friend's professional boat building shed. It was a fun project, and not too difficult, although it helped to have access to all the tools in the workshop rather than be doing it in the boat yard at the marina. It's a combination of ply and foam, heavily glassed.

Interestingly, the stainless washer at the bottom of the rudder, the bit that swivels on the pin, was corroded , so i shaped up a new one out of some 12mm stainless and got it welded onto the curved bit of stainless, which showed no signs of corrosion at all. I made the hole in it a bit larger than the old one, and a friend machined a bronze washer to fit, which sheaths the pin on the bronze foot at the base of the keel. With new bearings all round the steering feels really smooth now, with absolutely no slop.

This may be controversial, but we changed the shape of the blade slightly, rounding off the trailing edge and losing the classic Top Hat rudder shape, which to be honest I never really loved. While I was initially hesitant to argue with Illingsworth, the change came after discussion with a few professional boat building friends and a little research into rudder design. Really it was just done for fun though, you know how boat owners have to tinker with everything. So far, after a couple of weeks sailing in some fairly windy conditions in southern Tas, all seems good. I like to think it's a bit lighter on the steering than it was. I also put a bit of effort into getting a good clean trailing edge, and maybe that's doing some good.

[Phillip]

That would be Primrose who designed the hull Mike, not Illingworth who did the cabin, topsides and rigging.