Rudder is TOAST: The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back (Calico Skies Sailing, Ep 168)

In this episode Bill explains that the next project will be dropping the rudder because of suspect-looking pitting at the joint. Calico Skies is hauled out at Cabrales boat yard in Penasco Mexico and it’s the beginning of a mini refit.

For this project Bill first must first uninstall and remove the autopilot beginning with the loosening and removing the bolts that hold the drive it in place, followed by the quadrant and bolt on the bushing. Bill then uses pieces of wood to support the rudder underneath in anticipation of removing the bolts. Once the quadrant and stuffing box are loose the shaft is ready for movement! Bill then removes the remaining bolts and friends catch and position the rudder outside as the shaft moves out and the rudder drops down.

Initially it’s hard to see exactly what is going on with our rudder so Bill uses a wire brush attachment on the drill to remove surface debris. Unfortunately after some time it becomes apparent that the shaft is full of pitting, particularly where the thrust washer may have rubbed against the shaft over time. This crevice corrosion is a bad sign and at 1-2 millimeters far from negligible.

Upon further investigation we learn from Sabre that the rudder shaft is not solid stainless rather a hollow pipe which is attached from the solid piece to the rudder. The pitting is two deep to ignore given that relatively shallow thickness of the pipe and that means the rudder either has to be repaired or rebuilt.

Bill and Grace discuss their thought process when considering which option to choose for resolving the rudder problem. We decide to have it completely rebuilt because a Florida company already has the mold and a new one will give us peace of mind when crossing the ocean down the line. This brings us to the impact this will have on our plans: Given the cost to replace and the time it will take to have it made we feel that planning to prepare for an ocean crossing in upcoming March will be too rushed and cause us too much stress. We decide that given this and all of the other projects that remain to be completed our plans to cross the Pacific will have to remain on hold.

0:00 Dropping the rudder…this could be a bad
10:34 What are our Options?

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