Steering /rudder assembly issue...Columbia 40

A bit late in this but I have read nothing to say that you have located the stiffness to the rudder shaft. There is the possibility of it being in the pedistal.

 

Lol...well..your supposed to be ten or so hours AHEAD us here in Florida Frosty instead of 10 hours BEHIND...but we'll forgive it this once..

Well...we is learning...PAR...and that is a good trick with vise grips I have used myself...but never tried the stick method...just the wedge...that reminds me..I dont think I own a pair of those anymore...I better opt for the bigger standard size when I buy some as it helps having the longer handles for the wedge trick mentioned...BTW the rudder shaft is shorter than I thought but probably ample enough to provide leverage though I suspect once I do free up the quadrant it may not be the lightest of one-handed steering on the planet but we'll see...Right now I am just trying to get her ready to be able to be moved....

 

You're kidding, I have about a dozen Vice Grips of assorted sizes, and configurations, including a few that have welded attachments, to solve some weird problems.

 

Yeah....true... but you're a professional..I'm a newbie hack in comparison...and an amateur fixer-upper and sailer of good ol' boats who has only been at this odd hobby for 7-8 years....I learn things from people like you...you get to laugh from posts by people like me...like now...when you now know I wasn't kidding...but it all works out...

 

When you tell a guy whats wrong and how to do it it, you just dont expect to explain what tools to use.

 

Vice grips are really handy...I used to own a couple pairs..one large and one small..not sure what happened but I think one pair got left on a friends boat last summer and the smaller pair took the deep six at some point...I need to keep better track but it's not hard to lose tools this way when you take a 40-year old C-29 that's somewhat dilapidated more than 150 miles to someplace like Cedar key and back...single-handed...but I learned alot and got my first real offshore (14miles)..not really offshore but being totally out of sight of land alone was good thing to experience...The old CCA boats are forgiving but with the new boat this time things are in much better shape overall.... except for the hole in the deck...where the windlass used to be....I think i did see a GD termite though...sucker wriggled out of an old half-eaten away bung stopper that was laying on the galley-top just inside the companionway....I have heard boric acid is a good idea on any untreated wood that is exposed...and effective...also hear ethylene glycol solution works well against pests and wet wood..though dont have much of the latter....there is one bulkhead at rear of the starboard quarterberth where it is walled off from the area under the cockpit that has delammed a bit ..I want to discourage any termites and kill any that might be around...after the last boat I am a bit leery after seeing what I'm fairly sure was one of the little basterds....though is suspect that many Florida boats have them however unsuspecting the owner...I havent seen any of their lttle termite trails yet..hope I don't and if I am pro-active maybe I wont...these old battle-wagons to use PAR's phrase...like the C-40 have alot of plywood everywhere as there is of course no inner liner like they began to have in the 70's...Anyways..I am just kinda talking out loud here...probably lost everyone by now but it's good to bang thoughts out sometimes...even if your audience may be solely imaginary....almsot 3am here but I had a good long nap earlier..
Anyways, Now that I got the generator aboard..I can run my tools and fix the foredeck here hopefully next week...At least get a base covering of glass with frame support underneath and watertight....but left low so I can build up and fair out...visegrips though...got to pick up a few pairs...I love the Habitat for Humanity re-store's and other thrift stores for cheap tools but I never see vise-grips...pretty much everything else though...people dont let those go very often or they get snapped up quick...I will see of I can get a small pair and a larger one as well to re-seed the collection...I did find a good used chisel at the re-store the other day so I dont have to break into my good ones for normal everyday chipping...

 

If pretty sure only subterranean termites make those "mud tubes". The more common termite in Florida boats is the dry wood termite and these bitches fly (I think twice a year) finding new investment properties to acquire. The tell tale trail for these puppies are their droppings, which look like little black and dark gray granules, about the size of a grain of sand, maybe a little bigger. These will collect on horizontal surfaces, below where they've popped though a grain line or entry hole. The only real method of killing this beasties is to tent the boat and pump in poison, which of course is a professional job. There are some home made remedies that can prevent them, but once in the wood, you have to nuke them.

 

I havent seen any of those granular-sized droppings...God I hope I don't though these older boats are forests in terms of wood ...but If I do see any..I'm going professional this time...I never saw any more on the C-29 but I know there were still a few...saw evidence...I also got to be careful and check my pile of teak...and keep it well covered from now on since it's out in a shed...so i don't bring any onboard from there...well.. almost 5 am..here comes the rain from Beryl...time for bed..