Belize 43: Belize 43 Survey

[AussieWayne]

Hi guys
I found these drawings in my collection of things Belize.
Hopefully they may assist the discussions here re the unfortunate loss of the rudder(s).
Maybe someone with greater language skills than I may be able to translate the important information from the French to English although probably self evident.
AussieWayne

[dmtparkerLcsk53]

Originally Posted by AussieWayne

Hi guys
I found these drawings in my collection of things Belize.
Hopefully they may assist the discussions here re the unfortunate loss of the rudder(s).
AussieWayne

Great! Thanks!
Do you (or anyone) know if the bearings on the Belize 43 are meant to be replaced? I have read about some boats having 'ball-like' lower bearings contained by a metal plate. As these drawings seem to show - and if my memory is correct, my boat too -the Belize just has bearings glassed into rudder post enclosure top and bottom. I know for sure the top cannot be removed without cutting the glass and think the same is true for the bottom. There is a Delrin 'thrust washer' sitting on top of the rudder post enclosure that bears the weight of the rudder, but I see no way of getting at the upper and lower bearings without major surgery.

[peteatbeach]

There are two delrin balls that fit over the shaft. The bearings fit inside of a bearing case (see photos) that is epoxied into the hull - one at the bottom where the shaft comes out the hull, the other at the top of the rudder shaft housing. I had to replace one lower bearing case 2 years ago due to corrosion. The balls are easy to replace, but require a haul-out since you have to remove the rudder-shaft. The bearing case also requires a haul out for a few days for removal of the old bearing case and repairs.

Pete

[dmtparkerLcsk53]

Originally Posted by peteatbeach

The balls are easy to replace, but require a haul-out since you have to remove the rudder-shaft. The bearing case also requires a haul out for a few days for removal of the old bearing case and repairs.

Pete

Do I understand correctly that the balls can somehow be replaced by rotating or something without cutting into the FG? I seem to remember something like that on another boat. Do you know a source for the balls/bearings? I want to get all my ducks in a row BEFORE the haul-out!

[peteatbeach]

That is correct. The balls are flat on top and bottom, and fit into the bearing case in the boat. The shaft is then inserted through the ball.

There is no industrial work to replace them, other than lifting the boat so the rudder can come out.

I believe this is a common bearing for Fontaine Pajot boats and other French made monos.

Pete

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by dmtparkerLcsk53

Do I understand correctly that the balls can somehow be replaced by rotating or something without cutting into the FG? I seem to remember something like that on another boat. Do you know a source for the balls/bearings? I want to get all my ducks in a row BEFORE the haul-out!

see the other thread....pictures and suppliers....

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2276051

[wongai64]

The rudder and bearings ( if not seized into sockets ) CAN be changed in the water .. a catch net and lowering rope will work fine .. lin fact it may be easier than on the land .. to remove the rudder on the land , a Belize must be lifted 2.1 m off the ground from the top of the rudder post .. or a deep hole must be dug under the rudder to actually remove it. Difficult task if in a yard with a concrete apron ! The bearings are easy to remove but can be locked into the housing if not regularly maintained or checked .. after 13 years , mine all came out without too much effort . A possible issue to consider is the alloy quadrant on a SS RUDDER shaft.. held in place by SS Allen key grub screws .. mine were so badly corroded that I ended up cutting the quadrant off the stbd side and have had 2 new 316SS quadrants machined locally in Thailand as well as a set of new bearings.. ( the whole lot was cheaper than the fright of new bearings from Europe ( 160 EURO) I'll try post pics of the new quadrants and bearings being installed .

[dmtparkerLcsk53]

Originally Posted by wongai64

The rudder and bearings ( if not seized into sockets ) CAN be changed in the water .. a catch net and lowering rope will work fine .. lin fact it may be easier than on the land .. to remove the rudder on the land , a Belize must be lifted 2.1 m off the ground from the top of the rudder post .. or a deep hole must be dug under the rudder to actually remove it. Difficult task if in a yard with a concrete apron ! The bearings are easy to remove but can be locked into the housing if not regularly maintained or checked .. after 13 years , mine all came out without too much effort . A possible issue to consider is the alloy quadrant on a SS RUDDER shaft.. held in place by SS Allen key grub screws .. mine were so badly corroded that I ended up cutting the quadrant off the stbd side and have had 2 new 316SS quadrants machined locally in Thailand as well as a set of new bearings.. ( the whole lot was cheaper than the fright of new bearings from Europe ( 160 EURO) I'll try post pics of the new quadrants and bearings being installed .

It was quite a while ago, but I know we dropped our rudders once before on the hard. The keels were on 8x8 or maybe even 12x12 blocks, but I don't remember needing to lift it higher than that. Do you mean 2.1 m from bottom of hull to ground? With the keels on blocks it must be close to that. I don't remember lifting or digging. Thanks for the heads up. I'll be sure there is adequate blocking to get us that high when we are hauled out.
Fortunately my quadrant came off with little difficulty - lots of WD-40 and gentle tapping with a hammer.

[wongai64]

Apologies on the lifting : chocking height .. wording was supposed to be from the top of the rudder / hull to ground clearance 2.1M .. or park over sand

[dmtparkerLcsk53]

Originally Posted by AussieWayne

Hi guys
I found these drawings in my collection of things Belize.
Hopefully they may assist the discussions here re the unfortunate loss of the rudder(s).

AussieWayne

From the drawings, it is obvious that the 'hole' in my rudder shaft stump is for the first reinforcing rod. It did not shear off through the hole, but about 1" below that. And the rod is gone. Does that strike anyone else that this is weird? This is maybe a quarter of the way down the rudder and somehow the shaft shears off, the horizontal rod disappears and I'm left with this stump with a hole in it. How can all that happen?
I am now convinced that this happened on our return trip from Cuba. We were in some pretty big seas and autopilot was just not handling things. I couldn't figure that out at the time. But we never hit anything or had any collision that I am aware of.
Any thoughts?