Wharram Catamaran

[SkiprJohn]

Our club was given a Wharram 23 which was well maintained but I don't know the year. We've used it for many months with no problems. A couple weeks ago the port rudder gudgeon gave way. I could not feel any remnants of metal still attached to the port ama (hull) so I don't know what I'm up against in replacing it. The pintle is stainless so I assume the gudgeon would be too.
Any suggestions on procedure to repair? Anyone have a blueprint or drawing of the Wharram 23 gudgeon?
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[SkiprJohn]

Oops, forgot to mention it is the lower gudgeon and therefore we need to raise the ama high enough to effect a dry repair.
JohnL

[44'cruisingcat]

Can't you check out the starboard rudder for a guide?

[SkiprJohn]

Thanks
Yes we can and will. We'll wait for a good high tide and beach her. Just thought there might be someone out there who has a drawing of one so we can get an idea of what we need to quickly repair it.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[BambooSailor]

Have you tried to contact James Wharram directly (James Wharram Designs -Home of the self-build Catamaran.)?

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha BambooSailor,
Thanks. I didn't have that information.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha All,
We beached the stern of the cat today and found the lower gudgeon to have sheered the outer to screws holding her in place and the to inner screws pulled out. The gudgeons were the very cheapest that you can buy and smaller than I would use on most dinghies. I replaced them with beefier. The lower gudgeon port rudder had failed as descibed and the upper was about to fail so we replaced them both. Its a good thing I had a set extra in my 30 year accumulation of stuffs (and thought enough ahead to bring them). It would have been nice to know what the designs called for but that information never got to me from Wharram.
It was an easy fix once we got the boat's stern high enough. Just gooped up a couple of chopsticks with 5200 to fill the old screw holes and reinstalled the new ones bedded in lots of 5200. Then we motored back to the mooring. I want the 5200 to set up for a few days before reinstalling the rudder.
Wei Ji will sail again. Hurricane Flossie is headed our way so maybe I'll be going out to her and taking the mainsail off the boom and setting another anchor.
Regards,
JohnL