Dropping the rudder on a P40

[Marty McOmber]

Hi all,

We are getting ready to haul out for our next big project, which includes rebuilding our rudder.  I was not around that last time the rudder on our 1984 Passport 40 was dropped, unfortunately, so I would like to gather some info ahead of time.

We have the standard underbody and rudder for the Passport 40 -- hull is #75.  

In preparation, can any of you walk me through the process? In particular, I'd like to know if additional clearance is needed to drop the rudder once the boat is blocked and on the stands.  Normally, the yards around the Pacific Northwest block the keel with 12x12s. If additional clearance is required, how much more -- i.e a few inches or a few feet?  We won't have the option to dig a pit under the rudder to create more space, unfortunately.  

If we need to drop it while the boat is still in the sling, I would like to let the yard know as soon as possible so there are no surprises and we can prep as much as possible before the haul out. 

Thanks in advance. I look forward to the advice and experience of the group. 

Marty McOmber

[Kenyon Stewart]

Hi Marty,

Assuming the process is the same as the 47, the boat will likely have to be lifted off of the rudder once you have it loose if you want it completely free of the boat.  The rudder is heavy, so they will probably want to get a forklift with a pallet underneath it to lower it, but make sure the shoe is able to be removed.  The ends of the rivets that hold the shoe on will have to be ground down on one side so they can be pushed out the other side.  The shoe will probably be put on with lots of sealant too.  Then, the forklift can just lower it to the ground, but the top of the shaft will probably still be in the boat.  That's as far as I went last time because I was just rebuilding the "cage" and putting a new bushing in the shoe.  To actually get it out of the boat, I think you will have to hold it or secure it vertically and lift the boat free of it.  Some pics from when I dropped mine.

Kenyon

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[Michael Moradzadeh]

The "shoe" on the bottom can be a total pain in the butt to take out. Expect to drill or drive the retaining fasteners.  If the keel is 12" over ground, I suspect that you will have enough clearance to drop the rudderpost clear of the boat. It would behoove you to measure the distance between the hull and the top of that post, but I bet it's less than the amount you will have available.

On Cayenne, we saw some pitting around the circumference of the shaft and called in a metals specialist to look at it.  "No Problem," he said, and we filled the pits with epoxy and polished it up.

On Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 12:18 PM Marty McOmber <mmco...@gmail.com> wrote: