E35-1 Lower Gudgeon Question

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dvwilkie

Member I
Does anyone have any knowledge of the gudgeon on the E35-1? I am preparing my boat for bottom paint prior to splashing. I sanded the lower gudgeon and noticed what looks like a crack/repair around the aft bolt. Note the rudder is firm in the gudgeon, no slack, and the gudgeon seems firmly attached to the hull. I can put some pressure on it with a screwdriver and it doesn't move.

I am not familiar with how the gudgeon is attached to the hull. The screw/bolt head looks obvious but on the other side it looks like these screws may be welded or hammered in such a way to make them hard to remove. Anyone have any insight?

Pictures attached. Thanks for any help!

David/Dejala
 

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peaman

peaman

Sustaining Member
What material is the gudgeon? The surface looks like paint and the chip above that one bolt head looks like paint. I would expect the gudgeon to be bronze, and if it was up to me, I would probe around that chip to see why it is displaced. As for the opposite side, it looks like the bolt ends were peened to prevent backing out. It looks to me like the gudgeon is compromised to some degree.
 
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dvwilkie

Member I
I believe the gudgeon is bronze. It has been painted (green copper paint) in the past and I sanded the paint off down to the metal. I didn’t get all the way as there are some support blocks in the way. There is some pain in the cracks around the area of concern.

Can peened bolts be removed? Is it just a case of unscrewing them or is there more to it?

I will poke around the chip to see if it is loose. As far as I know there have been no hits or groundings on the rudder, although it looks like a fiberglass repair has been done at the rudder tip in the past. But this boat is almost 60 years old so maybe that’s not surprising. I was hoping that since the other side looks fine the gudgeon is still ok, albeit compromised to a degree.

Appreciate your comments!
David
 
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dvwilkie

Member I
Just an update if anyone is interested. The boatyard removed the gudgeon for repair and it kind of fell apart. I guess the forward bolt was alos compromised. Upon removal it was clear that the gudgeon had been repaired in the past.

So now I am looking at a tricky repair at a local shop here at the yard or potentially getting a new one fabricated. It is cast bronze. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions for a fabricator or foundry? Anyone have a drawing? Anyone have a spare one in their shed?

Ugh.

David
 
peaman

peaman

Sustaining Member
Port Townsend foundry has been mentioned regularly here for quality bronze parts. I would look at a new casting based on your existing (broken) original before committing to a repair of your original.
 
bigd14

bigd14

Sustaining Partner
Blogs Author
Marine Hardware in Washington has the molds for Ericson prop struts. I imagine it would be a very long shot for them to have the gudgeon mold for your boat too, but it might be worth asking them.

 
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dvwilkie

Member I
peaman said:
Port Townsend foundry has been mentioned regularly here for quality bronze parts. I would look at a new casting based on your existing (broken) original before committing to a repair of your original.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I will reach out to them!
 
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dvwilkie

Member I
Prairie Schooner said:
A good marine fabricator could build one. I'd lean toward that for a small high load part. A place like Seven Star Marine in Newport, RI is where I'd go. Not cheap tho.

Gallery — SEVEN STAR MARINE

www.sevenstarmarine.net www.sevenstarmarine.net

Is Puerto Pena on the West Coast?
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Puerto Penasco is in the northern part of the Sea of Cortez. It's a popular spot for sailing as it's only an hour south of the border in Arizona and the haulout facilities at Astilleros Cabrales are very good. But it is limited in what it offers for the sailing community.

I appreciate the reference on Seven Star, I'll reach out to them too!.
Thanks all,
David
 
Prairie Schooner

Prairie Schooner

Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
dvwilkie said:
Puerto Penasco is in the northern part of the Sea of Cortez. It's a popular spot for sailing as it's only an hour south of the border in Arizona and the haulout facilities at Astilleros Cabrales are very good. But it is limited in what it offers for the sailing community.

I appreciate the reference on Seven Star, I'll reach out to them too!.
Thanks all,
David
Click to expand...
David,
By way of Google Maps I was able to play the voyeur and snoop around. Fascinating to see the same boating activities in such a different environment. The satellite images show most of the sailboats out of the water. What's the typical sailing season there, or is it year round and you only splash when you're there? Or? . . Do you usually hang there and do day sails or is it just a launching pad for long cruises? Or? . .
Jeff
 
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dvwilkie

Member I
The main season is October through june/July but you can manage all year. It is just very humid in the summer, 90F and 90% humidity on the water 50 miles off shore.

There are 4 groups of sailors here.

People who are selling their boats. There is a brokerage here.

People who day sail or do short trips. There are very few places to sail to here in a day that are any good. Mostly we do this.

People who live on their boats who are in for repair or refurb. There are hundreds of boats in various parts of the sea of cortez and most will make their way to Peñasco sooner or later. Some will come here for hurricane season as Peñasco is very well protected and rarely gets strong storms due to the geography.

People who got too old to sail and/or their boats are permanent "project" boats that may never be seaworthy again.

There are three mooring docks here for yachts in addition to the commercial dock. Hauling in and out daily isn't practical in the sling but one of the docks "Safe Marina" has a ramp so if your boat is on a trailer they will take it in and out for you for a few bucks and store on the hard when you are away.

As you can tell from the satellite pictures the storage areas are pretty full. Now that hurricane season is over there is a lot of launch activity.

Overall it is a great place for people based in the southwest that can't afford California!

David
 
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