Rudder release on 1980 Prindle 18

Have followed my manual and have read articles on rudder tunning. I've cleaned up all the slop in my rudders but cannot figure out how to tighten rudder release. They seem to pop at zero lbs. of pressure. All springs and lock bolts(?) have been replaced. Any suggestions are appreciated.<br><br>

Have you looked at the angle of the cog, or tooth, on the metal part that is spring-loaded? If that shape is not very square to the piece it is holding against, it can be very easy to pop off. <br><br>

Thanks, I have looked at this. Is there a way to tighten the rudder release on this system or is it a single setting system? I was even considering filing the slot on the gudgeon an additional 1/8 of an inch to allow the bolt to sit lower which would cause the "tooth" to sit cleaner and hold tighter.
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<br>One thing I have noticed, over the years, the tip of the spring has gouged the gudgeon so now the spring some times gets caught not allowing the bolt that goes through the spring to go completely down. I have inserted washers between the spring and gudgeon to try to avoid this problem. Help!!! <br><br>

You may need to replace the "claw" bolt (in the rudder) which engages the horizontal 1/4" bolt (with the springs). It is also possible you need to re-drill the hinge bolt hole in the rudder head. These can wear and induce slop. Also, if you have an old rudder and a new rudder casting, small differences over the years can lead to a mismatch. Just fill in the hinge bolt hole with epoxy, then re-drill the hole in the appropriate place. You must carefully eyeball this with the boat on the trailer and the rudder in the locked position - then make the new hole position and drill.<br><br>If you make a mistake, you can re-fill with more epoxy and try again. I had to do this in my previous P19 when I broke a casting and the new one was slightly different than the old one.<br><br>Write if this doesn't help or you need more info.<br><br>Alan Thompson<br>I20 - San Diego<br><br>

I had the same problem on my 81 P18. I bent the bolt (ever so carefully) up in 1/32 inch increments with some vice grips and a rag over the bolt. I know that it is bad practice to bend stainless, but what the heck, both rudders now lock perfectly.<br><br>

Wow, both good ideas, had not thought of either. What a great forum.
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<br>Anyway, to JGRAVES, did you bend the bolt while it was already through rudder casting. If so, how will you ever get bolt out (or don't you care). If you took it out and bent it, how did you reinsert it bent through casting. Do your rudders still kick up when you hit beach? Thanks, please reply as I'm thinking of going with this option as at least a temporary fix and if it works for me, I'd probably leave it that way.<br><br>

O.K., here is what I did and it has worked well for 2 years now. 1: Take the rudder off the boat. 2: Lay rudder horizontally in a towel lined vice and secure in place with the CLAW bolt sticking up. 3: Put a rag over the claw bolt to avoid damage. Bend the claw bolt a little bit towards the rudder head. 4: Put the rudder back on and shim the rudder pivot bolts to prevent the threads from "sawing" your pivot hole any more.<br><br>

My solution was similar, but I marked the thread positions and pulled the bolt out of the rudders before tweaking it. I wouldn't want to bugger the foam core rudder.<br><br>

Oh, I see. First I thought you bent the bolt that the CLAW clamped on to. Now, I see that you actually bent the CLAW bolt itself. Thanks for re-explaining.<br><br>

A month ago I solicited advice for correcting rudder release on my Prindle 18. I received a couple responses suggesting simply bending CLAW bolt. I would have never thought of it, I was too busy trying to figure out how to properly make the adjustment.
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<br>Well, it turns out simply bending the CLAW bolt is the proper adjustment and it sure beats replacing these simple bolts which cost $17/each. Repair works great. Thanks for all your comments. Par usual, Rick's site rules!!!<br><br>