Rudder post leak
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 4:17 pm
Sorry for the long post. Over the last few years the starboard rudder has been leaking. This spring I repacked both sides but the starboard continued to leak no matter how much I tightened it. We left Saturday for a 5 hour run to start vacation. 45 minutes out the boat felt funny. We saw the aft pump cycling so we lifted the hatch and had some water back there and could see water streaming out the top of the packing nut. The aft pump would keep up with the incoming water. (I reinstalled an automatic float switch there this spring after not having one for several years.) When we got back to the dock we found the two bolts that hold the collar on were loose. On plane it would leak bad as the pressure on the rudder would cause it to pivot but once off plane all the water would go forward and it would only weep a little. It was a lucky find I thought I should share.