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I noticed today - while getting up to 5.5 knots in some really fine sailing weather, that my port rudder bracket/mount/thingy cracked (the aluminum bracket that allows the rudder to swivel up and down - is cracked - and it's recent - like this sail - I would have noticed it when I put the rudder up. The crack is accross the top - where the pressure from the rudder would be strongest when turning. With the crack, the rudder does not fully "turn" - but seems ok for straight ahead - of course - turning is a useful thing.

I am open to ideas - I suspect duct tape is not going to do it.

I had the same problem long ago.
Aluminum brackets loose their shape due to wear and forces applied.
I end with trouble with stainless steel as shown in this picture


Good luck

I left one rudder down while powering through a pass in the San Juan Islands last year. GPS says I was only going 5-6 knots but that was againt a current of about 8 knots (found that out later) So the bracket essentially saw 13 knots of turbulant water.
I broke it accross the top of the bracket on both sides.
Took it to one of 2 welders on San Juan island and they did a good job, cost $25.

Well you know - from the "misery loves company" standpoint - you guys have made me feel a bit better. Sailing was really great today - some serious force was being applied.

Apparently BWY carries them - I just ordered a replacement - I will take the broken one to a welder and keep as a spare.

Trouts Dream wrote:I left one rudder down while powering through a pass in the San Juan Islands last year. GPS says I was only going 5-6 knots but that was againt a current of about 8 knots (found that out later) So the bracket essentially saw 13 knots of turbulant water.
I broke it accross the top of the bracket on both sides.
Took it to one of 2 welders on San Juan island and they did a good job, cost $25.

Those things are made out of aluminum on an X? That's a poor choice of materials for that application IMHO. Finite number of stress cycles before failure. I would expect that the replacement part would be best made of an alternate material.

quintamala wrote:I had the same problem long ago.
Aluminum brackets loose their shape due to wear and forces applied.
I end with trouble with stainless steel as shown in this picture


Good luck

Picture is too small to see anything.

I'm afraid your expectations would not be met.

seahouse wrote:Those things are made out of aluminum on an X? That's a poor choice of materials for that application IMHO. Finite number of stress cycles before failure. I would expect that the replacement part would be best made of an alternate material.

To DaveC426913..
I have expanded the picture..
See this one.

What I did was copying the out shape and holes of original in three pieces of 6 millimiters stainless steel: One "U" to insert the bracket axis, an 2 "L" both sides toward stern to hold the rudder and welded vertically to the "U".
I´ll try a drawing later..

Much better picture - care to sell some?

quintamala wrote:To DaveC426913..
I have expanded the picture..
See this one.

What I did was copying the out shape and holes of original in three pieces of 6 millimiters stainless steel: One "U" to insert the bracket axis, an 2 "L" both sides toward stern to hold the rudder and welded vertically to the "U".
I´ll try a drawing later..

OK..
I handle with Sketchup to make a quick drawing of the pieces I mentioned before

As I said the overall thing is to "copy" the shape of original (aluminum) an drill holes in the right place.
Dlanderson.. That was something I did when the trouble came up. The cut and welding was ordered to a local welder using a hand-made diagram I made.
In the other hand I live in Rota (Spain) and is too far away from US...
Use the idea if you like it... I tell you: My steering is "sharp" as a knife since I changed the brackets..

PD.. One day I´l tell you about a Sheet-to-wheel auto-pilot I use to sail with my

Got the tee shirt on that one too...
this is our solution




and the various other mods inc hydraulics:http://www.ironengineer.com/mac/steering/steering.html

I like the ss version.

Is the welding on the other side as well?

restless wrote:Got the tee shirt on that one too...
this is our solution




and the various other mods inc hydraulics:http://www.ironengineer.com/mac/steering/steering.html

I like the ss version.

indeed, 10 pieces of tool plate ally on each bracket, port and starbord. More than a few hours to weld that lot!

Will I need to pull my 26X out of the water to replace the aluminum rudder mount? Or can it be done in the slip?

on the slip is fine.. get a spare person though so you can avoid a christmas tree of vice grips!
If you have the poxy early 2 part bracket, get them welded together and get some sort of backing plate. My bolts were halfway through the hull contributing to even more than the usual macsteering slop. In terms of engineering a truly disgraceful statement, one that even Roger abandoned fairly swiftly!