MacGregorSailors.com

kurz wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2025 7:03 am Yes, my 2011 had the small ones.
with the heavier it is much better!

I done the same and also upgraded my rudders as well.

Here’s my collection of rudder brackets
And the thickness in millimeters. I’d check which ones came with your boat the original 2004 were 4.68 millimeters thick I had to replace them because they got rusty on the top inside the boat. The 3.38 mm bent real easy. The thicker one still bends on the bottom but not much and if you straighten them out they will keep it’s shape longer. Last year went to a machine shop to see if they could be strengthened somehow but he didn’t seem too interested.

Ok, so the ones marked “new” are the upgraded ones from BW?
I’ve had my boat 14 years and am still on the original set. They are bent at the bottom. I do quite a bit of sailing. I finally put a compression stud inside the rudder pivot, which is now a half inch. This system reduced the slop, and makes it possible to tighten the F out of the pivot bolts which help keep the plates from spreading, while allowing the rudder to swing freely. I’d highly recommend this method for anyone who hasn’t done it.

Ix

Ix,

I could be wrong, but I believe there is a difference in the sailing you do in the Keys, and Jimmy’s sailing from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands. Open ocean sailing for long distances places a lot more stress on the rudders. That was one of the challenges for Madd Mike’s planning for going to Hawaii in his

Ixneigh wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 9:40 pm Ok, so the ones marked “new” are the upgraded ones from BW?
I’ve had my boat 14 years and am still on the original set. They are bent at the bottom. I do quite a bit of sailing. I finally put a compression stud inside the rudder pivot, which is now a half inch. This system reduced the slop, and makes it possible to tighten the F out of the pivot bolts which help keep the plates from spreading, while allowing the rudder to swing freely. I’d highly recommend this method for anyone who hasn’t done it.

Ix

Photo please!

Re open ocean sailing:
That is undoubtedly true. It’s nice to know the boat can do it if it has to though.

Ix

Re photos:

I don’t have a picture. I’ll try to describe what I did.
The OEM rudder has a 3/8 pin. The first year I changed that for 1/2 inch. I tried various rudders including the HDPE rudders. About four years ago, I drilled out the already oversized 1/2 inch pivot hole and placed a heavy (stainless spacer) which had 1/2 ID. The spacer should be just a hair
Longer than the rudder thickness. Now I can put the spacer into the rudder, then pin the rudder in with the 1/2 inch bolt (which of course goes through the spacer) and tighten the nut very tightly. The rudder blade still pivots freely however. The bolt now only keeps the plates from spreading, it’s no longer the actual pivot. The rudder pivots on the spacer through which the bolt is holding stationary. The spacer is a very thick wall and not terribly cheap (25.00 dollars)
When I drilled the rudders for the spacer, I drilled more towards the bottom of the blade to preserve material around the top of the rudder. I actually used a 7/8 hole saw I think.
I also used a few heavy fender washers on the outside of the
Rudder bracket plates. This fix has been very successful. Probably a machinist or someone like that could do a sketch which shows what I’ve described.

Ix

Ok, so the ones marked “new” are the upgraded ones from BW?

Well “new” was when the picture (2017 maybe) was taken BWY didn’t have the thicker brackets. I remember emailing pictures of how much the new ones had bent. I didn’t realize they were thinner when I replaced them. After that they had the thicker ones made. Brought 2 of them. I’m still using them.