P26 Rudder Damage. How bad?

[p26vermont]

I pulled my 1982 Pearson 26 out of the water for the winter and noticed this damage. I have no boat repair experience. How big of a deal is this? Can I fix it and if so what can I expect to pay?

[chris95040]

What does it look like on the inside of the boat? Is it all structurally sound, able to keep that rudder post vertical, in position? Tiller on that boat right? Is the cockpit floor sound where the rudder post pops up? What happens if you grab that rudder and pull side to side etc? Wondering if there is play that allowed that damage to occur.

Looks like a fiberglass tube possibly glassed to the hull, with a black plastic bearing that the rudder post rides in, and the fiberglass tube is cracked, perhaps only superficially when the bearing was inserted?

(On edit, those cracks don't make that outer tube look like fiberglass to me)

[p26vermont]

Originally Posted by chris95040

What does it look like on the inside of the boat? Is it all structurally sound, able to keep that rudder post vertical, in position? Tiller on that boat right? Is the cockpit floor sound where the rudder post pops up? What happens if you grab that rudder and pull side to side etc? Wondering if there is play that allowed that damage to occur.

Looks like a fiberglass tube possibly glassed to the hull, with a black plastic bearing that the rudder post rides in, and the fiberglass tube is cracked, perhaps only superficially when the bearing was inserted?

(On edit, those cracks don't make that outer tube look like fiberglass to me)

Thanks for your response. Everything appears structurally sound, we had no issues with the tiller and didn’t notice any play in the rudder. No issues with the cockpit floor.

[Spot]

From https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...tml#post686821

[NYSail]

Try Rudy at R and d marine….. he may have a bushing or know a source

Good luck!

[guyrj33]

For a very complete write up of a Pearson 26 rudder repair I suggest you check Dan Pfeiffer's site.
Rudder Bushing Repair Details - Pearson 26

There are many experienced P26 owners participating in the google group Pearson-Boats

[Gary Matthesen]

I had a P26 years ago. The bearings on the top and bottom had play in them inside the tube and the rudder would clunk back and forth especially downwind in following seas. I replaced both bearings and epoxied them into place in the tube. The picture SPOT supplied is excellent, wish I had it, damn 45 years ago now! If the tube is intact and there is nothing leaking, it looks like just a crack in lower end of the tube. If you cant get new bearings', and the shaft hasn't been clunking around, then epoxy in place what you have. That should support the crack in the tube. As said, may be real trouble to find parts.
BTW, that rudder is heavy. In water rudder tp post repairs, I rigged a line to the boom when I took the ring apart on top to hold the spade rudder up. Guess what...it floats!

[George DuBose]

D&R should have these Delrin bushings. Be sure to measure the OD of themrudder post where the lower bearing wears and measure the ID of the tube once you remove the old bushing.

Rudy at D&R seems to have different sizes of these upper and lower bearings and I have had to do a lot of sanding to get the new bushings to fit. Once the bushings do fit, you can epoxy them in using G-Flex or a sealant like Sikaflex.

Pay close attention to cracks around the fiberglass tube where it passes through the cockpit sole. The balsa core of the sole needs to be kept dry and where the rudder post tube comes up through the deck and around the cockpit drains are places that cracks in the fiberglass will let water into the core.