Rudder operation

[Frosty]

Hi all. I’ve had an Ericson 25 + for a few years now. It’s a 1980 and was in rough shape but most likely lived most it’s life in a fresh water lake . You guys here have been very helpful and hoping you will info on this rudder.
two and a half years ago I pulled the boat out to inspect hull thru‘s keel rudder and fix the prop and change sail drive gear oil.
everything looked good , did a bottom paint job at same time. Rudder seamed good , in good shape with just a little play.
but I’ve been growing increasingly worried about the play and wiggle mainly because I’m not exactly sure how it all goes together.
I think I do based on a few things I’ve read but I can’t find a parts diagram or any kind of pics.
Questions..... how is it all attached .........is the top of the rudder a metal shaft that attaches to the metal assembly I see in my cockpit ........how do I rebuild it to get the play out of it............ if I take off the tiller and then the part that holds the tiller , will the rudder fall out to the bottom of the lake .........
while sailing or at very low engine speed it feels ok but as I increase prop speed it really starts to shake due to the water cavitation from the prop. has anyone rebuilt theirs and did it smooth out the rudder vibration at all after. Any pics ? Assembly diagram ? And of course if someone has , where did you get parts from .
The boat has become reliable and I’m enjoying it, but this does worry me.
Thanks fellas
sail safe.

 

[gabriel]

Did you download the E25+ factory manual yet?

 

[Christian Williams]

You need to examine the installation of your rudder and its tube and bushings. Take photos and post here.

In one common Ericson build (maybe yours, maybe not), the top of the rudder post is held by a fitting on the cockpit floor. A plate unscrews to reveal the bushing. If that's your setup, check the nuts under the cockpit that hold the fitting in place. If they have fallen off or are loose, the top of the rudder post bangs around every tack. This condition is not apparent from a casual view of the cockpit fitting.

An easy check is to remove the inspection plate while sailing or motoring and observe whether the top of the post is held firmly in place in its bushing. If not, tightening the nuts solves the problem.

 

[Morning Glory]

I removed the rudder on my 28 last year. If its like mine you'll only see the top of the rudder shaft when removing the deck plate and wont be able to do any work from there (primarily access for emergency tiller). I had to remove the cable driven steering. There is a single thru-bolt that holds the rudder in place. There is a collar at the union between the hull and the rudder shaft that contains the packing. I believe its 3/8" flax you'll need to replace.

Once the thru-bolt is removed the rudder will fall. There is a single plastic washer at the union between the fiberglass rudder and the boat.

I re-packed, lubed and reassembled everything, but there is still some slop in the lower end...

I believe there is a design issue but perhaps someone has a solution; Because the packing is high on the rudder shaft and there is no lower packing or bushing except for the boat itself, it seems like there is no way to secure the lower shaft to hold it securely (without any slop).

A very experienced sailor tried to convince me to put flax packing up in the area around the rudder shaft where it goes up into the boat (whatever the hell that's called) but I think that the back/forth turning of the rudder shaft would inevitably catch one end of the otherwise loose flax packing and cause it to bind or worse.

How are other rudder assemblies secured and held true?

Anyway, if your rudder assembly sounds like this let me know and I can probably help

 

[Christian Williams]

Typical top bushing. If post wobbles inside, tighten bolts.

...

Typical rudder install.



If lower bushing has play there are two common solutions.

One is to insert stainless shim material to take up the space. Cut with shears, stick it in there, and the washer will probably hold it in place.



There is also a West System method of reducing the play in the lower bushing by application of epoxy. Google search.

 

[Frosty]

Did you download the E25+ factory manual yet?

No. Where can I do that ?

 

[Frosty]

thx for the pics so far . Btw tiller steered not wheel , if that makes a difference .
and just to confirm .... I can take the tiller ( go put in a beautiful new one ) and the cap off without the rudder falling out ?
to drop the rudder I have to take out a bolt or pin that goes thru the rudder shaft ?

 

[Christian Williams]

E25 Docs

Includes all sub-variant models.

ericsonyachts.org

You may not find a 25+ manual exactly, but most Ericsons of the era have similarities.

Read up on the archives and threads here. Put your boat model, year and engine in the Signature line. Click User Name/Signature.

 

[Gaviate]

Hey Frosty, I have a 27 with tiller on rudder, currently out of boat, had yard remove at last fall haul out. My rudder tube is glassed in at the hull and has plate with 4 screws anchored to cockpit floor. The tube is continuous with a brass collar bushing that fits into hull end of tube and around rudder post. Top of rudder post attaches to chrome plated brass cap with a single through bolt that hold the rudder up. Remove that single bolt and no more rudder! That same cap (don't know actual term) is also where the tiller connects. Sorry, no pics but will be back at boat in a couple of weeks. Hope this description helps. So the entire assembly involves single tube from hull to cockpit floor, rudder post with 1 bushing at bottom of tube and bras cap at top of tube. Oh and a grease fitting in cockpit. That's all there is on mine. The slop I found was from enlarged hole where thrubolt attaches rudder post to cap.

 

[Gaviate]

So you can take the tiller off but do not remove the cap or your rudder will be gone!

 

[Dave G.]

Check to see if you have a grease fitting on your rudder tube about 1/2 way down. If so pump it full of grease.