Rudder redo

rappareems · November 07, 2006, 05:24:33 AM

Took my rudder off yesterday and am waiting for California to wake up before I call Catalina for details to do the rudder make over. I have read past posts regarding costs etc. Anything lately from anyone who has done this? I will be shipping from Western New York (Lake Ontario). How about turn around time?

Mark

Jeff Kaplan · November 07, 2006, 06:55:29 AM

mark, i replaced the rudder on #219 this past season. measure the height of the post,coming out of the blade, as this is critical. the post on the new rudder catalina makes is shorter than the one you have, so you want it cut to your size so that the cap can be thru bolted. also, order a new cap. when you call parts dept. to order, give them oa height and post length,hull #, and tell them if you have a wing keel or a full keel, as the rudders are different. the cost was about $1,300, and was about $100 to ship to boston,ups. the turn around time was less than a month. the rudder post will not be drilled for the cap or quad. so you will have to find a local machine shop to drill holes and shorten post, which will be a little longer. take the old rudder to the shop so they can line up. also, since all is apart, check the quad. and cable/chain to see if they also need to be replaced. i had all done so will never have to worry about this again. i can tell you that the performance attained from this new rudder design will offset the cost of the project. boat spins on a dime, so responsive. good luck and if you need any more info, please get in touch...jeff kaplan

Stephen Butler · November 07, 2006, 11:44:28 AM

Just to add to Jeff's comments...the addition of a new elliptical rudder, whether entirely new, rebuilt, or Ron's project, makes a phenomenal difference in boat handling...well worth the time and expense. Highly recommend doing it! Just a thought.

rappareems · November 07, 2006, 01:14:55 PM

Just got an email from Catalina. Rudder cost new $1544.40; rebuild $1081.08... but, they mention the core may not be reusable after they break it down. Would probably be $100+ to ship it to CA. My inclination is to go with the new one. Your thoughts.

Mark

Ron Hill · November 07, 2006, 02:53:41 PM

Mark : What the factory really wants for a rebuild in an straight stainless rudder column. They won't "reuse" the core.
It's up to you as far as rebuild vrs new, as long as they drill the hole in the new rudder in exactly the correct place.

rappareems · November 08, 2006, 05:34:36 AM

Ron,

I didn't get what they meant by the "core" from past posts I figured that it was only the column that they needed and as mine is not damaged in that regard... I guess I should talk with them beyond this email stuff. I know the advantage of the rebuild, beside a few hundred dollars, is that all the holes are in the right place and it should pop back in with not problem. I'll let you know what they tell me. Thanks for the reply, I was tending toward just getting a new one but would rather not have to contend with measuring and drilling and possible errors in that area.

Mark

joe · November 08, 2006, 08:57:48 AM

regardless of what you decide to do, take photos and post them. they really help in showing what has been done. joe

Kyle Ewing · November 08, 2006, 08:58:27 AM

I replaced my rudder this spring. Catalina recommended the new rudder because they couldn't guarantee the holes would line up properly once rebuilt and the cost of shipping from Chicago would offset any savings. I purchased the rudder through my local Catalina dealer. Catalina shipped it with a new boat saving the shipping cost. I ordered in December and had it in March.

In addition to the performance gains mentioned, Donnybrook now sits on her waterline. With the old rudder the stern sat low in the water (must have been pretty soaked). I still have the old rudder and plan to open it to see how bad it really is.

Don't forget that the new rudder is about 8" longer than the old so you'll need the extra clearance to install.

Kyle Ewing
Belmont Harbor, Chicago
C34 #1010, Donnybrook

Ron Hill · November 08, 2006, 03:12:48 PM

Kyle & Mark : The new rudder is 8 inches longer -- if you have a FIN KEEL!!!
The new rudder for a wing keel is the same depth as the old one!

rappareems · November 13, 2006, 07:42:03 AM

Kyle,

Did you send Catalina a template or any other information regarding drilling the bolt holes for the new rudder or did you drill new ones yourself?

Mark

Ron Hill · November 13, 2006, 05:33:03 PM

Mark : If you go for a completely new rudder, I'd send/fax Catalina a scale drawing as to where they should drill those holes.

Kyle Ewing · November 13, 2006, 07:55:57 PM

Mark,

I drilled them myself. Only broke one drill bit, but nearly burned out the drill. Carefully measure every hole including offsets (side to side, top to bottom) before drilling. For example, on mine the forward quadrant hole was 1/2" higher (or lower, forget for sure) than the aft.

Based on the marks on the quadrant and rudder post, I would guess the holes were drilled through both the quadrant and post with the quadrant on the rudder. Because the drill didn't go through perfectly straight, I wouldn't trust a template from the factory.

Kyle

Jeff Kaplan · November 14, 2006, 07:02:26 AM

when i called parts to order the new rudder, catalina said they no longer drilled the holes for quad. and cap. thats why i stated in my first post, to go to a machine shop to have holes drilled ,as they have the proper tools to do the job right. the post is thick steel and the holes have to be drilled precisely so the rudder will sit straight. also the new post may be a little longer and will have to be cut to match length of old. unless you have a drill press, leave it to a professional...jeff

Ron Hill · November 14, 2006, 05:36:34 PM

Mark : I think with Jeff's latest post I'd take a stronger look at a relayup of the old rudder column -- unless your brother-in-law operates a machine shop (cost wise)!! A thought

rappareems · November 15, 2006, 08:24:57 AM

Thanks guys. The more we look into these things the more complicated they seem to become. I feel inclined to go Ron's route and send them the old rudder, there is nothing wrong with the column. By Catalina's response I am tempted to think they would rather not be bothered with a rebuild, yet given the existing column, a rebuild should be simple. I am happy we have had this contact befor I called them!

Mark