Pintle Plate Rebedding, Rudder is Stiff to Starboard

TheGreatEscape · **Posted:** 24 Jul 2022 18:59

Hey guys, like the title says, I went ahead and rebedded the leaking pintle plate on our '81. After all was said and done, I went to turn the wheel to make sure everything was in good order and hard to port is smooth, but from about 1/4 turn to hard to starboard, the rudder is sticking on something. It seems like it is rubbing on the two nylon washers that separate the rudder from the plate. Maybe seawater will give this a little lubricant? Still seems off to me and want to make sure it's right before going back in the water soon.

When we removed the plate, there were 3 washers on each bolt between the hull and plate, was that normal? I didn't put them back on because it seemed like it would be more prone to leaking with them in place than without them. Since they're out now, the pintle is sitting a touch higher than it was before and I think that's why there's a slight pressure against the rudder near the pivot pin. Is it possible to raise the rudder just a touch to relieve the pressure but not cause any other issues?

Thanks for all the help

Lunacy198 · **Joined:** 11 Apr 2022 10:25 **Posts:** 21

It sounds like you removed the nuts inside the boat and the rudder and pintle bar dropped, but not the skeg - is that right? The skeg must be dropped with the rudder. I can't see a reason to apply sealant on the top of the pintle bar. Is that what you did? The sealant area is the top of the skeg. I'll attach a couple images of how it should come apart.

You say there are two washers between the rudder and the pintle plate. It should be single washer maybe 3/8" thick and then a sleeve over the rudder shaft. The sleeve has been known to ride up the shaft from the rudder - maybe that's the problem. Some (like myself) had the thick washer and sleeve turned as one so this can't happen.

After looking at the images, you may want to attach some from your boat if it looks different. I'll post 2 for now...

TheGreatEscape · **Posted:** 25 Jul 2022 15:57

Ah I forgot to mention that the previous owner removed the skeg and fairing pieces that go from the skeg to the rudder. So I have an exposed pintle plate. I may replace the skeg the next time we haul out but I don't have time to replace it right now. The PO said he removed it at least a decade ago.

But since you said there should be a 3/8" washer between the hull and plate, it sounds like I'll need to add that. I doubt the 3 washers that were there added up to 3/8" but it would give me the tiny bit of extra space between the rudder and plate so that there wouldnt be any friction

Lunacy198 · **Joined:** 11 Apr 2022 10:25 **Posts:** 21

Okay, so I guess the washers were intended to replace the skeg thickness. I think a plate that spread the load might make more sense.

I have the old parts pictured, so I just measured the 'washer' on the pintle pin and it is 1/4" thick. Diameter is 3 1/8". The sleeve is 1.5" thick (height) and 2 3/16" diameter. The ID is an inch like the pintle pin but on my old sleeve, it was worn to a cone inside with one side measuring 1 1/8".
I would assume you need these parts and if you don't see the sleeve, check to see if it is up inside the rudder post tube.

By the way, Tartan T37 (#481) had the rudder extended to replace the skeg. That would be easier and more straightforward to do than making a skeg, although the simplist thing to do would be to buy the parts from Tartan if they have them.

Maineiac · **Posted:** 27 Jul 2022 08:12

If you're on the hard, the rudder, if devoid of water, will float up. There's also a large delrin "washer" at the juncture of hull and rudder to help keep the rudder from eating the hull when it rides up.

"PO removed the skeg." I'm guessing the PO lost the skeg, like my PO did, it getting tore off by a line, chain or otherwise.

TheGreatEscape · **Posted:** 27 Jul 2022 21:11

We just rebedded the pintle and added the washers to account for the space that would be where the skeg should be. And happy to say that it only slightly drags when going to starboard! I'm thinking now that like you said, the rudder will be naturally buoyant and we should have a smooth turning wheel!

Where is the washer that keeps the rudder from hitting the hull when in the water? When I thought about the positive buoyancy, that was my next question, what keeps the rudder from rising too high!

Thank you both for the help!

Maineiac · **Posted:** 28 Jul 2022 07:26

zoom in on the top of my rudder and squint sideways. There's a delrin washer around the rudder post. It isn't as thick as I believed it should be (now I'd have doubled it up), but there WASN'T any plastic washers anywhere when I dropped it. The one down by the pintle plate was stainless, which I replaced with delrin. So there's one at the cutout and one at the top of the rudder at the hull joint on the rudderpost.

Tartan37.com

Pintle Plate Rebedding, Rudder is Stiff to Starboard

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