1989 2800 Coastal Rudder Repair

[dengle]

were can I find a repair manual for my dual rudder system. The idle side were the top bearing is attached has needs replaced. I want to do this in the water but need to know what it looks like and maybe change worn parts. looks easy but dont want the rudder going to the bottom of lake. Please help

[CptBill]

Usually the repair manuals such as Sealoc and so on have a section on steering so look for one that has your specific engine type(Crusader, Merc.,etc) and model year other than that find the name of the steering system and look them up. There is no specific repair manual that I know of.

[dengle]

Cant find anything helpful, does anyone know if the stuffing box mounted to hull will keep the rudder from falling, i assume it would????

[Billm]

NO! The packing nut should only be tight enough to keep water out and is designed to allow free movement of the shaft. The collar and arm that sit on top of the wooden board are what take the weight of the rudder. Are you absolutely sure you need to do this now? I doubt if that top bearing will separate from the shaft without a fight so you will putting stress on the rudder. If the rudder drops you will have a geyser.

Is the rudder frozen? Try using penetrating oil and work the shaft back and forth with a pipe wrench.

[dengle]

Not frozen works fine, the board moves when the steering wheel is turned. just wondering is it dangerous to use as is

[Billm]

On my boat the board is a stout 2x6 that spans between two stringers and is solidly attached to the tops of them. It does not move. Could you post some pictures to illustrate better your concerns?

[dengle]

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[Billm]

it looks like the board is rotted and should be replaced. I would not attempt disassembling the rudder parts with the boat in the water. the lower set screw on the collar is what holds the rudder to the board. If you remove the tiller arm and the collar, then only friction at the stuffing box will keep the rudder from dropping. You should be aware that twin inboard rudders may not be set parallel to each other so you need to see the other rudder to check this. Buck Algonquin sells the parts you need.
If this was my boat, I would try to stabilize the rotted part of the board with Marinetex or epoxy filler until the next haul out.

[Texasrainman]

good morning, we recently lost both rudders to our 1988 wellcraft grand sport due to hurricane issac in corpus Christi Texas. any recommendations on where to find replacements? thanks

[Billm]

Sadly, many of the great inboard express cruisers from the 1980’s are being parted out now. So I think a boat junkyard would be your first place to look. I think any bronze rudders similar in appearance and same shaft size would work. Buck Algonquin sells new rudders but I think you could save a lot money by buying used.