Nonsuch Maintenance Procedures - Rudder Post to Hull Seal Renewal (a reply to an old posting)

Hi all,

I’ve noticed water pooling near my engine bed and finally traced it back to my rudder post, here is a video that shows it clearly while underway. Thankfully the water only comes in while motoring and the transom is lower than normal.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uEdneAGGWnSr32Q66

Is this DRAFT Nonsuch Rudder Shaft Sealant Replacement the correct solution for this particular issue? I will schedule a haul out in the winter and would be excellent if I just have to drop the rudder a bit to perform this procedure instead of removing it entirely.
Nonsuch Owner Procedures

Thank you as always!

Matt Hidinger
Nonsense 30U #509
Seattle, WA

Matt,

I hadn’t realized until I doublechecked on the website that the document you found said DRAFT all over itself in big letters. I’m guessing that might be behind your question.

I dropped a note to the authors asking them if they’d be willing to jump on and respond to your question. I hope they’ll respond to this thread. (By the way, I think anyone can send a private message like I did; just click on “My messages” on the left hand side of the Nonsuch.discourse.group webpage and it gives you a way to start a message and search for the people you want to contact.)

In the meantime, I can’t say that I have personal experience dropping my rudder. However, I will say say that I’ve reviewed the document and would be comfortable following the steps it recommends if I was planning to drop mine.

A very similar procedure for a related problem is described on page 35 of the New Nonsuch Owners Quick Guide available under MEMBERS - MANUALS on the INA website. That part was authored in 2023 by one of the authors of the document you found. So, I’m inclined to believe that they still stand behind it.

– Bob

The original posting

On Monday, November 15, 2021 at 10:44:07 AM UTC-8 John Barbour - Nature 26U Toronto wrote:

Here is a picture of the set up with a car jack which I used to lower the rudder. Feel free to use it in the procedure.

Does anyone know what the recommended clearance is for the rudder shaft in the rudder tube? With the boats now on shore at the marina, I have been going around pushing rudders. My rudder has no movement whatsoever within the rudder tube while all the other rudders have obvious movement. This probably is why my rudder is hard to turn.

John Barbour
Nature 26U
Toronto

On Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 8:02:18 PM UTC-5 joes...@gmail.com wrote:

Bill: This is what I have in my archives. There will be more on the INA website
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA

From: Ed Brost

Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2019 2:10 PM

To: INA-Nonsuch-Di...@googlegroups.com

Subject: RE: Nonsuch Maintenance Procedures - Rudder Post to Hull Seal Renewal

Hi Dick, here is the procedure. I hope you can access it. If not, we can find an alternative way to transfer it to you.

…..Ed


Ed and Marlene Brost

SaSeaCat N30U #322

Sarnia Yacht Club
Sarnia Ontario

From: ina-nonsuch-di...@googlegroups.com ina-nonsuch-di...@googlegroups.com On Behalf Of Richard Lane
Sent: November 14, 2019 2:03 PM
To: INA-Nonsuch-Di...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Nonsuch Maintenance Procedures - Rudder Post to Hull Seal Renewal

Ed, I couldn’t find your attached step by step instructions.

Richard (Dick) Lane.

Ns26c #35 Swoose.
Port Townsend.
Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 13, 2019, at 1:20 PM, Tim in STL whiteom...@gmail.com wrote:

I had better not refer to my First Mate (read: Wife) as a Burly Assistant. Other than that I think this a great Step by Step description. Thank you very much Ed.

Tim in STL
White O’morn NS26U
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO

On Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 1:05:25 PM UTC-6, Ed wrote:
I changed the title of this thread as it is something of a departure from the thread on rudder post gussets.

I resealed our rudder last spring. We didn’t have a leak, I did it as a preventative maintenance step. Ron Schryver recommended I do this about every 5 years. As part of the planning to do this I tried to recall how Ron coached me to perform this task when we bought SaSeaCat. That led me to think that it would be nice to have a library of procedures on how to perform maintenance activities such as this. Perhaps stored in the members section of the INA web site.
In any case, attached is a draft step by step procedure on how to renew the seal at the rudder post and hull joint.
Do you think it would be helpful to have a library of procedures ranging from engine maintenance (e.g. how to change fuel filters), to hull tasks such as this, to stepping and un-stepping the mast? The procedures could be submitted as drafts and then once a consensus is reached, uploaded to a new “Maintenance Procedures” folder on the INA website. Not sure who would be the arbiter deciding when a procedure is “good enough”.

Inserting pictures into the procedure is easily done. If people think this procedure is helpful, I could easily insert pictures I took when performing this task last spring and, with permission, pictures provided in this thread.

Thoughts?
…..Ed
Ed and Marlene Brost
SaSeaCat N30U #322
Sarnia Yacht Club
Sarnia Ontario

From: ina-nonsuch-di...@googlegroups.com ina-nonsuch-di...@googlegroups.com On Behalf Of Ernie Abugov N22 - #56 “Moustaches” Toronto
Sent: November 13, 2019 10:07 AM
To: INA Nonsuch Discussion Group INA-Nonsuch-Di...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: replacement rudder tube gussets

More info -

On an N22 original drawing, the material used in the rudder tube is called “epoxy” According to Mike Quill, these tubes are “fibreglass”. Here are 3 documents/photos that will illustrate what i think is actually happening.

Enjoy !!
Ernie A. in Toronto

On Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 9:44:10 AM UTC-5, Jerome Bertuglia wrote:
Hi Phil,
Thank you for your reply.

Do you know what the material inside of the rudder tube is? I have not seen any water coming out of the top of the tube and I replaced the grease cup with a zerk fitting so that I could push a lot of grease into the tube. Is the grease in the tube what prevents water from entering the boat?

Jerome Bertuglia

Purr Diem
NS 30
Stonington, CT

On Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 12:26:05 AM UTC-5, Phil Gow, 30C #125 Lily Pad, Sausalito, CA wrote:

I would wonder if the water is coming in the top of the rudder tube (not enough grease? or worn tube?) and percolating down inside the gusset???

My aft gusset was a sodden, mis-repaired mess which I had the boatyard demolish and replace.

I made sure to epoxy seal the upper surfaces of all three gussets…so far so good.

On Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 7:40:54 PM UTC-8, Jerome Bertuglia wrote:
Hi Randy,

I hope that it is not too late to join this conversation.

I have also been having similar issues with a small trickle coming out of one of the gussets. I cannot figure out how water is getting into the gusset. What is the relationship of the worn bushing plate to the water leak?

Jerome Bertuglia
Purr Diem
NS 30
Stonington, CT

On Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 12:14:45 PM UTC-4, Randy Gadikian wrote:

I have leaks at the base of both rudder tube gussets and the port gusset is split and warped. I can’t find a post on replacing the gussets. This past spring I lowered the rudder, ground out the old sealant to a depth of 3/16 of an inch and filled the void with 5200 only to be rewarded with leaks on both sides. The gussets appear to be well bedded into the hull and I am not sure if replacing them is the smartest thing to do. If I go down the path of replacement I think the thing to do would be make replacements out of some form of composite material as opposed to wood.

Has anyone done this job?

Am I way over my head?

Randy Gadikian
Paisley Moon
NS 26C
Buffalo< New York

Hi Matt, as one of the contributors to the document that Ed Brost wrote entitled “Resealing Rudder Post Tube”, even though it has Draft written across it, having read it through I can assure you that it is complete and accurate. I’ve performed this procedure myself a few times over the years and it is surprisingly straightforward.

Also make sure that your rudder post is well greased as this can be a source of water ingress when the boat squats while motoring.

Good luck…Ron

Ron & Diane Schryver
“Alpha Waves” 1987 NS30U #393
Georgian Bay Midland ON