Rudder washers

I'm putting my boat back together and I have a bunch of plastic (nylon?) washers that I assume go between the rudder casing and the rudder. I have a couple of questions about these.

1. Are the plastic washers necessary?

2. If so, how do you keep them in position while installing the rudders?

Thanks!
bloome

They will make your rudder stiffer so they are needed.

your 2nd question is a bit harder, practice practice practice. its tough and I am sure someone has a good answer but it's just a crap shoot when i do it......

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Brad Stephens
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I too have struggled with getting the washers in line to insert the bolt. This post got me thinking. Why not run a strong thread or fishing line through the casting, through the washers for one side, then through the bolt hole in the rudder, through the other washers and out the casting on the other side. Then, position the rudder in the casting and pull the line tight to get the washers into position. There should be enough play to insert the bolt and then pull out the line. If not , use a dowel rod small enough to all the thread removal and push it out with the bolt. You might need a drift pin to line the washers up. A sharp point on the dowel would do it.

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Howard

i've used double sided tape...
and other times spray glue... and lots of patience when they go out of alignment....

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•Present boat -1998 Hobie 16 Solana Sails furling jib[/size]

After getting a recommendation from my local hobie dealer to use ribbon like hrtsailor described above, I tried it using fishing line (it's what I had available). The fishing line kind of worked. Ribbon would be better because it's thinner than fishing line and is stronger. I had to use 60 lb fishing line and it ended up getting stuck between the washers on the one side requiring me to leave some of it in place. It also took a while to get the washers in place because of the fishing lines thickness. In hindsight ribbon would have been ideal.

Suffice it to say, my rudders are on.

Thanks for all the advice.

If you cut your own washers out of plastic lids or milk jugs, then you can make them larger in diameter so that you can move them around some with your fingers while trying to align all the holes with the bolt. You can also use a piece of Scotch tape to hold the washers on the rudder before inserting the rudder into the casting. After putting the bolt thru, you can easily pull off the Scotch tape.

I cut 3" diameter washers for the lower rudder casting and 2" diameter washers for the upper rudder casting. Based on how much extra space you have between your rudders and castings, you may have to use several of these homemade washers. Also depending on what type of plastic you cut them from you can make them any color you want. I used the semi-clear sides of plastic milk jugs so you don't notice them.

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Tim
84 H16
82 H16
87 H14T
Tortola Sails: 115222
Blue Prism Sails: 88863
Clearwater, FL

I use a knife with a marlin spike to hold them in place while I push the bolt through.

You can hang the first one on the bolt (just barely sticking through the casting), slide the rudder in, then use a thin putty knife or a piece of thin sheet metal to push the other one in place.

I've been using 2" circles cut out of Delrin sheets. They last much longer than the softer HDPE washers. You can get the sheet in various thicknesses (0.02", 1/32", 0.04"), so you only need one bushing on each side of the rudder.

I use a same installation method as Mbounds, but use teflon sheet (cut into 2" washers), not quite as strong as Delrin (acetal resin), but has a much lower Coefficient of Friction (0.07 for teflon vs 0.25 for Delrin). The washers I added 3 years ago are still doing just fine with no increase in rudder slop. I believe the sheet i use is 3/32", or it could be 1/8" - one washer/side.

This is brilliant. There was a lot of play in my rudders and I did this with disks of cut 5 gallon motor oil jug. Also did some between the fore/aft rudder part and the crossbar (tiller) itself with quarter-sized disks. Helped a ton.

These are not plastic. They are made of Teflon. I got a 1 mm Teflon sheet very cheap, cut it to the right shape and install. Easy repair. The official ones are waaay too expensive.

I use a second bolt. One bolt on each side with washers hanging on the inside, then keep light pressure on the bolts as you wiggle the rudder into place. Let the bolts find the hole, then let one bolt push the other out.

Just did it, x4 (two rudders and two tillers) this morning.

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'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages

Yes two bolts is the way. I have done lots like this. As you insert the rudder you can turn the bolt out so it just holds the washers. Keep a little tension on bolts from both sides as you position the rudder. The rudder fit should be snug. You can remove a bolt and peek at the hole To see which way to move. Put the bolt back in before moving the rudder.

Cheers
Bill