Replacement rudder for Mull 28

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mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by mike cunningham »

Walter,

Your are right. It is extremely difficult to deploy an effective emergency rudder offshore in a seaway. You can come up with all sorts of clever solutions but a cassette mount on the transom with a blade stored inside the boat is the best way to go IMO. You punch the damaged rudder out through the bottom (you hope) and slide the blade into the cassette, set up your steering lines and you are in business. Not racing business, but certainly capable of getting into a safe harbor.

I never anticipated taking the OEM rudder off shore with me. There were several qualifying ocean races for the SHTP. The singlehanded Farallons (50NM) and the LongPac (400NM). The Longpac required an emergency rudder. I borrowed a carbon fiber cassette rudder system from one of my SSS colleagues for that race and used it for the first Transpac as well. I bought my own erud of approx the same design for the second transpac I participated in.

But, because I had never exposed the boat to tough offshore conditions and given the guy was selling the rudder for $500, I decided it would be wise to buy it and have it available should I damage or loose my primary rudder prior to the SHTP. That way I would avoid a lengthy wait for a replacement and potentially miss the race. At my age it was kind of a twice in a lifetime deal so I really did not want to miss my opportunity to participate. And what a superb adventure it turned out to be!
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

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mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by mike cunningham »

walterg wrote:
Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:15 pm
Hi Mike,

Thanks for the interesting info....from the few drawings or other info I have been able to track down, the F28 rudder shares the same rudderstock dimensions, with three 3" OD SS collars that go through the upper and lower bearings, and the middle collar that attaches to the steering quadrant. The overall shaft length is about 39", the width of the rudder from the cutout for the skeg to the trailing edge is 17-3/4", and the width at the bottom is 10-5/8". The overall length of the rudder proper exclusive of the shaft is 54-1/4". If you actually have a F28 and not a F30 rudder on hand, it might help Chris but not me as I have already committed to having a replacement built, despite the fact that I have neither adequate insurance or extra boat bucks. Nevertheless, I have to get her home somehow.
Thinking about the idea of bringing a spare rudder offshore.....and wondering how one could install it? You would need to get the old rudderstock out, which shouldn't be that hard, but it would be a trick to get in the water and re-install the replacement. When my rudderless boat was towed in, an old-timer told me how you could use a bucket towed astern and tied to your winches to keep steering with a lost rudder.

Walter
Walter,

Re the rudder I have, it sounds pretty close. We'll see if Chris is interested. If so I can do more measurements,. etc.
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

walterg
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Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by walterg »

I envy you that experience Mike! The SHTP has been a lifelong dream of mine. Not likely to happen any more but I can still imagine what a thrill it must have been.
Walter Gotham
Salem MA USA
'87 Freedom 28-Mull #33 "Nova Vita"

sailorchris
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2016 11:04 pm

Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by sailorchris »

Thanks so much for your information Mike and Walter. It's good to hear that the stock is the same diameter! My boatyard has been doing their magic to look at the options for custom fabrication. We may be going with a brand new custom rudder, but I haven't spoken with the adjuster yet (and hoping I have better luck than Walter). Depending on how the insurance pans out, I might be in touch with you Mike. At least we got 20 days in this season before it happened. I've attached photos in case anybody is interested. The stock stub looks different from Walter's.
Attachments
rudder.jpg
rudder.jpg (66.41 KiB) Viewed 4085 times
rudder2.jpg
rudder2.jpg (135.45 KiB) Viewed 4085 times

walterg
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Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by walterg »

First pics of my new rudder under construction. This is after they have built the carbon post and milled the foam, in preparation for vacuum-bagging the skins on.

new rudder_1.jpg
new rudder_1.jpg (155.42 KiB) Viewed 3956 times
Walter Gotham
Salem MA USA
'87 Freedom 28-Mull #33 "Nova Vita"

bad
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:14 am

Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by bad »

Looks cool. So who is finally building it? And who did the design?

walterg
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Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by walterg »

CCI is doing the build with Phil (Phil's Foils) doing the design. Although I had thought that the original rudderstock was a FRP/carbon composite, Phil told me that there was no carbon in mine, just FRP. So the new carbon stock should be much stronger than the original. I'd hate to have to go through this again in another 30 years.
Walter Gotham
Salem MA USA
'87 Freedom 28-Mull #33 "Nova Vita"

walterg
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Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by walterg »

New rudder has arrived from CCI!

new rudder_2_small.jpg
new rudder_2_small.jpg (31.61 KiB) Viewed 3639 times
new rudder_3_small.jpg
new rudder_3_small.jpg (30.25 KiB) Viewed 3639 times
Walter Gotham
Salem MA USA
'87 Freedom 28-Mull #33 "Nova Vita"

bad
Posts: 184
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:14 am

Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by bad »

That rudder looks so awesome! Are you replacing the bushings in the boat, too? If yes, what material?

walterg
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Re: Replacement rudder for Mull 28

Post by walterg »

Well my F28 rudder replacement post comes to an end. Drilled the mounting holes and applied some bottom paint:

new rudder_5_small.jpg
new rudder_5_small.jpg (28.88 KiB) Viewed 3528 times
Installed and re-launched after 72 days on the hard:
new rudder_6_small.jpg
new rudder_6_small.jpg (18.94 KiB) Viewed 3528 times
new rudder_8_small.jpg
new rudder_8_small.jpg (18.72 KiB) Viewed 3528 times

Fit is very good and CCI did a great job, especially with the lack of dimensional info that I was able to provide them with. Over the winter I'll do a little fairing around the skeg but otherwise it's a perfect fit and she sails great. @bad, the bushings seem fine, no play that I can feel in them so I'm going to leave them as is.
Walter Gotham
Salem MA USA
'87 Freedom 28-Mull #33 "Nova Vita"

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