Leaking rudder stock

[paul]

I've got a 3 year old Moody 36 which seems to have developed a leak from the top of the rudder stock where bit comes through the hull. The rudder is a skeg hung type. Is this likely to be a bearing fault or is there some kind of seal? Is this something I'll need to lift the boat out of the water to fix or is there some kind of clever way of re-tightening the baering /seal while still in the water? Any advice appreciated.

 

[brianhumber]

Can you see a seal or gland packing with greaser at the top of the rudder?
I fitted a greaser to my rudder on my old UFO 34 because the bearing wear was allowing water to bubble up in the cockpit at sea. Worked a treat, two turns lasted a channel crossing. Wear down on the bearing was eliminated as well.

 

[burgundyben]

Do be careful with adding greasers, if the bearings are nylon, which is common i think, nylon does not always like being greased, sometimes it swells up.

you'll find rudder is bloody heavy too, is the big stock running through it. I suggest not messing with it whilst boat in water.

burgundyben, coolest of men, by all I'm called, cool burgundyben.

 

[Guest]

Paul,
I had this problem on a Moody 376, initially Moodys' at Swanwick dropped the rudder and replaced the 'O' rings but it still leaked so it went back again and they resealed the sleeve, (not quite sure what was involved in this but assume there are also O rings on the sleeve to hull join). Anyway its been fine for a year now.
Regards,
Hugh

Thought for today: I'd rather be on a boat with a drink on the rocks than in the drink with a boat on the rocks..

 

[superboots]

Best way is first to get advice from Moody's -it won't be the first time they have had to deal with this problem. It may be just the O ring which would be a haul out job to replace and which will need to be done fairly often. I had this problem which I solved temporariliy because there was space between the top of the rudder tube and the steering quadrant. By removing the quadrant I placed over the rudder shaft a thick rubber hose which was attached to the base of the rudder tube with jubilee clips. The top end of the hose held a bearing also secured with a jubilee clip. As the top end of the hose was above the waterline the leakage was stopped. There was a marginal increase in steering friction but it saved a lift out. It may be under the build approval (CE mark) that the rudder tube should be carried up higher than the waterline - something to check out before speaking to Moody's.

Are you a member of the Moody Owner's assocaition? which should be able to give you added information - see Moody's web site for a link

 

[Budgie]

I have a 1997 Moody 40 which had a leak, but so did some other local Moody 40/42s. Whitlocke came up and replaced the rudder seals on them all with a seal of a later type. Apparently the earlier seal was partly mild steel! I had to pay for the lift out, but that was all.
Suggest you contact Moody/Marine Projects (now Princess?) in Plymouth and also speak to Whitlocke.
Good luck

 

[Dann]

Paul,
I also own a Moody 36 circa 1997/8. Also experiencing slight leakage from rudder stock. However as above normal waterline only occurs when subject to wave action astern or when transom burries when motoring. I would be interested to hear how you progress with the problem.