Chrysler Sailors Forum

While fiddling around in the gravel that is my boat yard, I either kicked this piece to some invisible place or I have misplaced it.

This stopper is a stainless steel tube that looks a bit like a T junction with the leg sawed off, or maybe it is just a tube with a hole drilled in it. It is in the rudder and the stopper knot at the end of the rope is inside it. It serves as a short bar transversing the thickness of the rudder to bear and pull the weight of the rudder when raising and lowering the kick-up, thru-the hull rudder assembly. The pictures on the other site were helpful for everything else about reinstalling the rudder, but it doesn't show this little mechanism.

It is 7/8ths inch tubing with a .0625 or so wall thickness, stainless steel. It is only 1 5/8ths inches long, but the only source of this tube in town requires that I by a 20 foot pipe for over 60 bucks.

Does any one have any ideas for replacement?

a. I could use the available 1 inch pipe and just increase the size of the hole. However, the hole is designed so that the hole at the edge is slightly smaller than the diameter of the rest of the hole in the interior so it doesn't drop out when it is not under pressure--I don't think I can replicate this nice detail in the wood and might loose it under sail. Could I even drill through that for the hole in the middle of it using a conventional drill.

b. I could use another type of piping. But what? Galvanized pipe (gas piping?) would eventually rust, copper is probably too soft to bear the weight of the rudder, and even electrical conduit looks weak.

I'm going out one more time to look for it, now that it has rained, it should stand out on the gravel dust. But if I don't find it, I'll have to do something.

Sure could use some advice.

Went out and looked at my rudder (C26) which is on the workbench in the shop -

mine is just a piece of tubing with a hole drilled in it. Almost looks like conduit. Hole is same size all thru the rudder itself. It can't fall out with line in it because the line going thru the hole in the tube then thru the rudder combined with the stop knot won't let it . Would fall out with no line affixed.

If you can't find the right size, possibly you could get the next size up, cut a slit in it so it is "c" shaped, and that when compressed it would fit in the hole. That would also allow a tight fit due to the rebound of the pressed fit.

Let me know if a pic would help.

BL

If your 26 don't have the differing widths in the hole like I do, then I won't worry about it falling out. Maybe one of my boats prior owners was a woodworking perfectionist. Then there is always the aluminum collar that keeps it from reallying going anywhere, duh!

I was thinking of using conduit. Doesn't sound like you think the strength factor of stainless steel is so important, then I suppose galvanized will be as good.

If you need small quantities of tubing try this link;

http://www.onlinemetals.com/

I have replaced the mast spreaders, bought stainless plate for stantion backing, square tubing for the trailer and other iteims. Very good service. You don't have to compromise material because of small quantities.

I decided I could make the hole bigger, or I could use galvanized . . .but that online metals sure made a special order easy--they cut them to size too! The shipping cost me more than ordering three 1 1/2 inch pieces.
(A couple extra if I goof on drilling the hole that the rope goes through..) Thanks for the referral, it was a good site. Now where are those carbon drill bits?!?!?!?