Recent content by rssailor

Loren, There is only one zerk that I could find at the top, none at the bottom. Yep used lots of wheel bearing grease on the shaft putting it back in and injected grease in the top zerk fitting.. Rudder is getting a bit less stiff after some use. Ryan

So the repair is complete and the boat is back in the water. Glad I did not have to replace the rudder tube. The rudder was difficult to get back into the tube and much stiffer than it was before. Glad this is behind me, although I am still interested in a new rudder, in the future. Ryan

Working on the repair. Routered out a space to install a small G10 piece with a hole drilled in it for the rudder shaft to go thru. Epoxied the G10 in place today, will see how it works in a week or two after I fair it in, coat the area with barrier coat, and then bottom paint. Pictures...

As far as I know the tube is factory stock.. Yes alignment of a replacement rudder tube would critical. I would have to make an alignment jig that fits the old rudder tube, then use it to align the replacement. I have looked into tidesmarine and Jefa rudder/rudder tube so far. Do you have a...

Allan, The water shows up on the starboard side of the rudder tube on the inside of the boat and pools behind the rudder tube inside the boat and drools down under the platform in front of the rudder tube, then under the stairs, and either into the bilge or onto the cabin sole. Very annoying. Ryan

Well I think I found the source of the leak. Seems like the fiberglass has deteriorated at the bottom of the rudder tube as shown in the first picture. This has allowed water to seep between the tube and the structure into the boat. The PVC tube does not appear to be cracked or fractured at...

Does anyone have a dimensional drawing of the Ericson 25+ rudder? I am now considering a new rudder in addition to a new rudder tube. I will take some pictures when I pull the boat out of the water on Monday. Ryan

Yes, i'm sure it's windy. This is why I'm going to have a very small blade jib built for my Ericson 25+. Ryan

Alan, I'm planning to haul the boat back out of the water onto it's trailer Sept. 5th and then after I get the boat back to the storage, I plan to pull the rudder out and take a closer look at the rudder tube. I am thinking of using a tides marine rudder shaft with bearings. Ryan

Howard, If you have some pictures of the delamination, post them. If the rudder is moving independently of the shaft, you have a serious problem. The internal structure of your rudder that is welded to the shaft could be breaking loose. I would get an experienced fiberglass repair...

I also had this issue with E 25+. I went ahead and cut out the wood block and rebuilt the mast step on the deck with G10 (fiberglass plate). I also removed my compression post and checked the base. The compression post sits in a fiberglass molding at the center of the boat where the main...

Well after 43 years the PVC rudder tube on my Ericson 25+ has started to seep. I have tried sealing it with splash zone, epoxy, and 5200, it still leaks. Has anyone replaced their rudder tube with a new composite one? If so, where did you get the new rudder tube from? I would love to have...

After you get the whole disaster out, make a plug to go in the hole that goes flush with the inside of the boat. Put several layers of mold release wax on the inside of the plug, then lay cloth over that. Make sure you prep the inside really well and clean the surface with a degreasing chemical...

Sounds like a fun trip to Avalon. How was the return sail. Ryan

After much sanding and fitting, ended up installing the rub rail on the starboard side with a spacer. It sure makes the boat look a lot better. Could not find end caps unfortunately and I'm gonna have some custom ones made after the new year. Ryan