I don’t know if all 275s are the same but ours has (or had..) a small metal extension on the back of the rudder housing that you had to balance the up-haul rope onto in order to get the right angle to pull the rudder up.

Unfortunately, at the end of last season, ours parted company with the boat and fell into the briny. So, two questions:

1. Ours is an early 275 so it’s possible that later versions have a better system – it was always a pain persuading the up-haul to stay put long enough to pull the rudder up. If so, rather than replacing the old system, maybe we can try to replicate the new one...

2. Or, if they’re all like that, could someone possibly measure their one (length + diameter) so that we can make one up? (Also, from memory it might have been aluminium – is that right?)

Any info would be very helpful. Such a small bit of kit but rather essential......

All the best,

June T

275/6

June Tweedie

I am off to the boat soon and will make a point of measuring the rod.

We are boat number 28 and I suspect it will be very similar.

I am not aware of any alternative methods of doing away with this important piece of kit.

All the best

Tim Reeder Speedwell

Commodore

I remember this piece being broken on our 275 and then present on our 31 (still aluminum) then on our 325 is WAS stainess but is still broken. We have to use the deck broom to alter the uphaul angle to get the rudder blade lifting but once aft of vertical it is fine. We have made sure the blade is greased in the rudder housing and the bolt is not overtightened. Another point here, make sure the bolt is locked, 2 nuts and locktight, in the past we have had it work loose, to lose the nut completely would be disaster.

We could get the uphaul gadget made in stainless if someone gets me the dimensions, we have a good local machine shop who does a lot of marine work.

Jan

325/32

Blue Moon

My P27 had a standard rudder which was hard to raise, but this was solved with help from another owner who solved the problem by boring out the existing hole in the rudder to >50mm, resealing the exposed edges, then making up a 50mm dia plug in nylon which is just thicker than the rudder blade in the stock. This means the bolt can be tightened against the plug and the blade is free to rotate around the new larger bearing face. the clearance is around 1mm so there is no wobble in the blade.

The rudder is now raisable with just a 3:1 purchase needing no extension arm or similar.

Cheers

Chris

P27/136

We have been fitting out Redshank (275/19) over the winter. We had a stainless tube attached to the rear of the rudder stock. This was free to move up and down and had the remains of a grove at the end. We say remains, because it must have been crushed by the lifted rudder and would no longer hold the rope. In fact, we almost lost a finger trying to fiddle with it and it was very difficult to reach when it dropped down.

At Brancaster, we noticed Flamingo laid up. She had a stainless rod with a ring welded on the end, through which the uphaul was led. After some fiddling, we made a prototype out of an old alloy tube and took it to our local stainless man who made a stainless replica - a solid bar with a ring on the end. He ground a slot and drilled a hole through the other end so it fitted over the D-shaped fixing on the rudder stock and added a lump below so it will only drop down to the horizontal. If it falls right down, we cannot reach it to lift it up to do its job.

We have tried it out. It was very hard whilst the boat was laid up, but easy when she is afloat.

Sorry I don't have the dimensions, but they can be found next time we visit if it will help. We can also supply the name of the stainless man, although I am sure it is easy to find a local source.

Best wishes.

Anne & Dennis Kell Redshank 275/19

Thanks very much for all the advice and ideas. We'll probably try a combination of loosening/greasing and trying to replicate the rod, either as original or as the rather interesting-sounding one with the ring on the end...

So, if Tim and/or Anne & Dennis could measure their respective rods when next afloat, that would be most helpful (length + diameter would be good, plus how far down the rudder stock they are - we can still see where our bracket was but need to make sure yours is the same; otherwise the angle might be wrong..)

And any photos of Anne & Dennis' more sophisticated version would also be helpful... I don't know if this forum can cope with them so, if not, my email is junetweedie@yahoo.co.uk. (Please don't worry if that's difficult..)

Final question for Tim: If yours is the original, do you know what it's made of? Is is aluminium? We may go for stainless steel but actually our old one's material worked quite well, whatever it was.

Thanks very much again, one and all.

All the best,

June T

275/6

Our original is aluminium I think. I keep forgetting to measure it. I will try to remember when we go down next on Thursday.

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier.

Tim

Commodore