I have recently rebuilt a Prindle 16 and used the rudder rebuild kit to snug up the rudder system. The main problem I have been having is in locking the rudders down when we are getting going. The rudders just don't want to catch and stay down and we end up tying the rudder lines around the tiller bar. Any tips on how to cure this or is it simply old parts on an old boat that need to be replaced? Thanks in advance for any help.

Did you replace the hook that sits on the blade? It can wear down and will not hold very well. That would be my guess.

Sheldon
P-18

Or the springs that hold tension on the cross piece the hook is supposed to catch

I had the same problem on my P18. I found that the hole that the hook pin goes through was a a little reamed, so I added some resin and then re-drilled. That took out a lot of the slop and got it in the right angle. Merely tightening the two nuts might help, but if they were loose and reamed the hole, it won't fix it. I also filed the inside of the hook so that it was more of a hook and not so flat. Granted, it set me up for failure if I were to run aground and needed the kick-up feature, but it sure kept them locked down. I just made sure that if I were near shore, I had the rudders unlocked.

Her is an article on Prindle rudder adjustments that was in an old Prindle newsletter.



Good luck,
Jack

Thanks for the ideas everyone, I'll definately check out all of these areas and see if anything can be improved.

After reading this newsletter till the end, I am really starting to believe that "Prindle Cat has the best rudder system going."