stern gland

[Killick69]

To answer your question. Rudder shaft base has female ending, which sits over a stainless steel pin and the bottom of the shaft is separated from the mounting by a plastic (vesconite or some such) 'washer.' I don't know whether the rudder shaft can be raised enough for the shaft base to clear the pin,if it can one could then simply slide the old washer up the pin and remove the it and slide a new one in. Fortunately when we slipped Night Cap, we found this area to be ship-shape. If the shaft can't be raised high enough, I imagine one could unbolt the bracket that holds the pin and ' plastic washer'. The upper bush was almost non-existant, but part of it (badly worn towards the forward end) was still in the rudder tube. I manage to break some of it out and partly fit a new bush. Although only partly inserted from above, it is working 100%. I might have another go one day. The top bush is about 1 inch long plastic and is pipe shaped. It sits over the rudder shaft and inside the rudder tube. I guess the proper way to remove it is with the rudder removed and then drive it out with a mandrel or pipe. I think it might have been glued into the rudder tube.
Cheers, John

[bearmcnally]

Hi Guys

hope this helps your discussion

[storm petrel]

Not having a bridgedeck is one of the main faults with a Top Hat. If you do get a green one in the cockpit it can flood below. I always sail in any serious seaway with a reinforced lower washboard fixed in place with a pair of hatch clips.

Why would you need access below the cockpit for the rudder? The shaft is in an enclosed tube. The top bush can be accessed from above the cockpit and the lower bush when on the slips.

As for the stern gland for the prop shaft of the inboard - I have a dripless stern gland that I have not touched for 5 yrs.(I put 70-100 hrs on the engine per year) Provided the gland is well fitted you should get many yrs of trouble free service.

Good practice to minimise the number of holes in the hull but provided your through-hulls are in good condition and seacocks are well serviced it is not something you should be paranoid about.

Cheers,
Mark

[Gramps]

Hi John (Killick)
re your comment on the sink outlet - It has since occurred to me that the hole in the hull could have been above the waterline. Would be keen to hear the views of those with experience. . I did have a boat with that set up and refitted the seacock below the waterline. The reason is that the outlet needs to be just above the waterline for effective drainage if the boat is heeled but the downside is that when you are at anchor, and particularly when you are trying to sleep, the slight movements of the boat during the night mean that wavelets slop into the outlet and you would be amazed at how noisy and annoying that can be. If you go on deck to check, you won't hear the sound at all, you have be down below. If your wife thinks the outboard is noisy, this repetitive noise will drive her - and therefore you - up the bulkhead (there are no "walls" on a boat)


Sean
Azzura

[Miker]

Gypsea, I'll chime in on the outboard topic.

I have an 8HP 4 stroke Tohatsu, it sits rather unceremoniously on a stern lifting bracket, as a permanent fixture. No, it's not pretty, but it doesn't actually fit correctly in the well.

On my recent trip to Lake Macquarie, I had to motor from Careel Bay to about half way between Barrenjoey and Lion Island because there was no wind. Then, on the return leg, i had to leave the Swansea Bar on a small NE chop, the prop cleared the water about 4 times, but I never lost way and never felt unsafe. Then, after a glorious broad reach from Moon Island I lost all wind approximately abeam Bateau Bay. I started the outboard and it ran for approximately 5 hours in 2 metre seas, with a 1 metre easterly chop. In that 5 hours, the prop cleared the water about half a dozen times.

I have a 30 litre fuel tank, and a 10 litre spare. When I think there is 10 litres of space left in the main tank, I empty the 10 litre tank into it, then fill the 10 litre tank at the servo on my next visit. When I left to go to Lake Mac, both tanks were full, I still don't have room to empty the 10 litre tank into the main tank.

The bracket isn't the best idea, but it's way cheaper and easier than an inboard IMO.

Michael