Stern and rudder bearings on a C28

[Maeling]

Stafford, I'll try to get your account up, meantime here is your post.

Hi Geoff, 
Thank you for your informative article on removing and replacing Cutlass
bearing on your Compass 29. I have just purchased a Compass 28 that I don't
know the year of manufacture however, I know by look and feel the upper
Rudder bearing has a lot of play and I'm thinking when I slip it I'll find
the Cutlass bearing may well be in bad shape so your artical is of great
interest. I'm new to the Compass group and I can't find the pictures you
suggested of the Bell removal tool, I can imagine it from your discription.
Do you know the dimensions required for a similar Bell tool I can make for
the Compass 28 ? It was re-powered in 2005 with a replacement Beta Diesel
13.7 HP. I don't know if the Propeller shaft was relaxed and a larger
diameter installed. I don't know what the normal manufactured Diameter the
28 had. Is there a specification and drawing sheet available to look at in
the Club ? It may provide a lot of answers to a new comer / owner.
I would be grateful if you cold direct me to an information sheet for the
Rudder assembly on the Compass 28. I know that will need to be done when I
slip it at Marmong Point. I would think I will need a crane lift to allow
the rudder shaft to be taken out which looks like it will be over a Meter
long.  I'm not sure if I can accomplish this in a normal Slip, there will
not be enough clearance between the Rudder tube in the hull and the ground;
but I guessing.  
Thank you. 
Stafford Whitwell.

[Maeling]

Thanks for the compliments, offline I will get your details for the Register. The N28, C28, C29 were evolutionary designs, they got a bit better each time.  I won't claim specific knowledge of the C28 rudder setup but this should be close. First of all the shaft in the rudder is in two pieces (See www.compassyachts.info  then the PHOTOS tab and lookin DETAIL)The top part is long and straight until it is bent back at 40degrees to finish behind the rudder aperture.  The bottom half is shorter and pokes out of the bottom. The two shaft nearly line up, probably depends on the day.  I expect the C28 ruddershaft is 1".  There is probably a copper tube between the hull and cockpit floor and a SS gudgeon at the bottom of the keel.  There are probably 3 Delrin (plastic) bearings 1 at the bottom and 1 at each end of the tube. I expect these are 1 1/4" long by 1" bore by 1 1/2" +5 thou interference fit OD.  A machine shop with delrin could turn these up. Getting the rudder out, get a profile shot of a C28 and speak to the boatyard you should be able to do it if the boat is far enough forward on the cradle and with about 20" clearance below for the rudder to slide forward and down. Even easier off a travellift. The C28 rudder has no water seal and the best indication of worn bearings is cockpit flooding at high power settings.  The prop shaft may well be 7/8" my bell fitting has disappeared in some Compass' bilge but next article I'll cover a different way to get the stern bearing out.

Geoff Raebel

[Mulloka - Woodford Bay]

I still have the original shaft and it is 1 inch

[brett]

I have actually done this job on a C28 and wrote it up here about 6 years back.

Not sure if Geoff can search the forum with my user name?

Anyway, you have to pull the prop shaft to get the rudder off.

So you may as well do the cutless bearing and check the bit of copper tube that's used as a shaft log in these boats.

It was only 2mm wall tube on my boat and I know there have been cases of corrosion.

 

 

Rudder shaft and prop  shaft on this C28 were 1 inch but it was the original YSE8.

 

The hard bit was prising the fibreglass cover off the top bearing. It was just bogged into the cockpit floor when the yacht was built and a lot of bog had to be ground away.

So the order is, or was in my case:-

Remove tiller, lose woodruf key, remove prop, attempt to release shaft coupling to remove prop shaft for about 8 hours. Sheer off set screws in coupling, give up and cut prop shaft in half. Unbolt coupling from motor and remove remains of shaft on workbench with heat. Order new shaft from Porters (only $400 delivered) Remove other half of shaft, then lower rudder gudgeon. Discover rudder is full of water as it drops about 2 ft into rudder pit on slipway.

 

Check copper rudder tube for corrosion (same as shaft log). drain water from rudder and attempt to bog up.

Reassemble with new rudder bearings, new cutless bearing, new dripless seal, new shaft, replace lower gudgeon mounting bolts, buy new woodruff key.

 

Wait 4 weeks and then have wife say "I'd like a bigger boat". Sell yacht to the next person safe in the knowledge they will have no issues for the next 25 years because I just did all the engineering!!

 

Just my experience...

 

Seriously, if your yacht was repowered in 2005, you may find the cutless bearing is fine, plus the coupling will probably be way easier then the corroded 30 yr old one I had.

The top bearing on my boat was extremely worn. The rudder used to rattle when the boat was at anchor and you could pull it forward by the tiller about an 1/8th of an inch.

 

The boat was much improved with new rudder bearings with no water over the cockpit floor motoring as Geoff described.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Brett

[Maeling]

Brett thanks for the agonising reminder, ah well at least another C28 survives

Regards and again thanks

Geoff Raebel