To get the rudder out we needed to either dig a hole under the boat or lift her. I didn't think the boss would approve of us jack hammering a hole in the shop floor so we set about lifting her instead.
We fabricated some lifting tabs and welded them onto the cradle to make it easier to pick up with the yard-arm jacks. The rudder fittings were removed and the vessel was lifted about fourteen inches to give the necessary clearances to drop the rudder. We cribbed the vessel in place and supported her well with boat stands.
The rudder was being stubborn and did not want to come out easily so we sanded the stock above the packing gland with 220 then 320 then 600 grit and sprayed some silicone lubricant down the stock. A hydraulic wedge was placed above the rudder and used to gently coax the rudder down and out.
Once out the rudder was placed on the table and sanded down and filled and faired where required.
The "pin" at the bottom of the rudder was completely corroded away, the rest of the fittings were in pretty good shape considering their age.
welding on tabs
going up
removing rudder
down and out
sand, fill, and fair
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1 comment:
Looking GREAT! Just getting caught up on posts... it had probably been Christmas time when I was last on! So, lots to read. You've done SO much work since then, congrats! She's gorgeous and just getting prettier every day (if only that was true for people, LOL!).
Can't wait to see the finished product... what a HUGE job. When you feel like you'll never finish, don't look ahead at what's left to do, but behind at how amazingly far you've come. :)
Love ya!
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