BR20 GRP Rudder Hinge Bolts

[Peter Cockerton]

As part of my pre Morbihan checks I'm checking all fixings to make sure that nothing has worked loose and possibly give me a potential failure during the weeks hard sailing.

The bottom rudder nut and bolt had worked loose again, i know i checked it only a few months ago and it is fitted with a nyloc nut but as has been pointed out before the head of the bolt has a flat head screwdriver slot and not easy to tighten securely.

I remember reading a mod which was implemented (Julian or Graham) perhaps where a single length of stainless threaded rod replaced the top and bottom nuts and bolts. Today i implemented that mod, not easy due to difficulty getting a spanner on the nuts with the restricted space available between stainless rudder fabrication and the hull. It now has a locknut and washer either side of the hull fixing brackets so it should not be able to work loose or fall out to unhinge the rudder.

Question

When reassembling the rudder fabrication to the hull brackets it occurred to me that they could either be fixed so they rested on the hull brackets or be slung underneath with the bolt/threaded rod nuts taking the fabrication weight. The former seems the obvious and that's how i have fitted it back on. I would appreciate it if someone who has their boat local could have a look for me and let me know, just for peace of mind really.

Thanks

Peter Cockerton

[Graham W]

Peter,

I still have two bolts but long ago replaced the slotted ones with hex head versions - easier to tighten.  My rudder fabrication fixes to the brackets over (top one) and under (bottom one). Perhaps my brackets are spaced differently to yours, as I don't have a choice.

I've noticed that the fixing bolts tend to grind away against the brackets, in addition to the nyloc nuts working loose, so I replace them every now and then.  It's probably because I do so much towing and also hang a heavy registration bracket off the rudder fabrication.

[Peter Cockerton]

Graham

Thanks for checking, will leave mine as they are for now. Will take a sneaky look at other BR20 bottoms when opportunity arises hope I don't get any funny looks.

Peter

[Julian Swindell]

Hi Peter
I had a look back at mine and they also fit over and under, with the top rudder bracket fitting over the hull plate and the bottom one fitting under. I had a look a few days ago and the rod and nuts seem to be fine, without any movement. What I did eventually discover, being very slow on the uptake, was that if you push the tiller right over to one side, it is much easier to get a spanner on the nuts. I only discovered that after hours of barking my knuckles and making 0.1mm of nut tightening with each expletive.

[Tony]

As part of my pre Morbihan checks I'm checking all fixings to make sure that nothing has worked loose and possibly give me a potential failure during the weeks hard sailing.

Hi, Peter
Funny. I've given the same tasks to the NHS!
Pacemaker: Battery - good for another 10,000 miles.
Blood pressure: 160/90  (Ooops! Better not get too excited.)
BMI : 27    (Oh! Dear me! Have to do something about that to give scope for all the oysters and a few  visits to that nice little restaurant in Auray we went to with Stuart and Andy. What was it called, again?)

What about the boat?
Oh! The boat's fine! Not much to go wrong on a CBL. (What's a rudder bolt, by the way?)
Matt has fixed the Lee board I sat down on at Milford Haven (Have to watch those spring tides more closely.) and reinforced the cockpit floor (BMI again!). AND I have a new "secret weapon" for BayRaider Bashing - a CF bowsprit. This'll push the jib forward so it no longer fouls the yard of the lugsail when tacking. The jib was originally intended as a heavy weather substitute for the mainsail, one or the other. Now I can set both together, giving me an extra knot reaching in light winds. It'll help balance the mizzen in a bit of a blow, too.
Perhaps Francois Vivier's "Pen-Hir" won't go past me so easily this year.
(Boy, did I wish I was sailing a BayRaider at that moment! My second favorite boat designer smiled and waved like Royalty and left me bobbing in his wake - at least 2 knots faster than the CBL on a reach - obviously well pleased with his new boat. ) To quote Ian Drury, " There ain't 'alf bin some clever bastards.."  but I think he's going to get a bit of a shock when the BayCruisers go past HIM! ...AND they can launch and recover easily and dry out without legs.

[Peter Cockerton]

Julian and Graham

Visual check on my boat shows I can,t fit the tabs one over one under due to spacing of the fabrication tabs, so it,s both under or over. To put the load onto the hull fixing brackets I,m sticking with both over.

On the water for 6 hrs yesterday at Rutland, steady blow of 16/18 knots, plenty of opportunity to play with my code 0, best sailing so far this year, no problems with the rudder and the new stainless rod and nylon nuts show no movement.

Tony

Many excellent restaurants on our last trip and you directed us to most of them, most of the evenings are just a blur to me as you and Andy shared the driving back to our digs.
I'm driving this year so Lamor Barden (digs home) will be getting a boost in beverage trade. Great to hear you and the boat have been "serviced" and ready for another great week of sailing and banter.

Peter.

[david]

Hi All, Thanks for the reminder to check these. I missed this in my annual tighten everything up routine. Looks like my rudder may be attached a little differently than yours. Just two bolts rather than the long on Julian has in his picture.

[Peter Cockerton]

David

Your boat has a new design hull fixing bracket. Each bracket has an upper and lower tab which the rudder fabrication slots into. This should take the weight of the rudder and allow the bolt and nut to provide just the pivot axle. In theory you should have no trouble from the nut self adjusting as we seem to suffer from. You may however find the bolt gets worn after time as it rubs against tabernacle tabs rotating when you swing the rudder.

The long threaded rod in the picture you mention is a mod which hopefully upgrades the two nuts and bolts which you show holding your rudder fabrication to the boat to try and overcome the problem of the loosening nyloc lock nuts.

Peter Cockerton

[Peter Cockerton]

Thought I would share this on with you so you can check your boat.
The stainless eye at the end of the spinnaker pole was loose and turning so assumed the nut was loose on the other side of the wood blanking stopper. As no access to the nut possible to stop it from turning I thought I could apply a little leverage to the base of the eye at the some time turning the eye with the hope the nut would grip against the wood stopper and tighten. To my suprise the thread of the eye just kept pulling out from the stopper and eventually came all the way out.

Only one thing for it cut the end of the pole off and get access to put a new stopper in and refit the eye, annoyed to find one nut (non locking) no sign of loctite  being applied, not even the threads on the end of the eye being peened over to stop it coming undone.

Only used the spinnaker last week so the upward pull of the threaded section of the eye only thing stopping the eye from pulling it out. Not disastrous if this had happened but annoying if it had failed at Morbihan.

Peter Cockerton