PDQ 36 Rudders

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samtheskull66
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PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by samtheskull66 »

I need to change the rudder shaft bushings on our PDQ36. I would be grateful for any advice or input. I also need to build a new rudder as we happened to lose one this year in the Bahamas. It had been bent and straightened so there would have been a weakness in the tube. Never a dull moment!
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SecondWind
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by SecondWind »

LRC or Classic. The rudders are different.
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samtheskull66
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by samtheskull66 »

Are the rudder shaft bushings different?. Only the rudder shape is different. Same shaft dimensions ?
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by samtheskull66 »

Sorry Classic
Allie-May
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by Allie-May »

Did you ever determine the correct bushing for the rudder? I have a little play in my starboard rudder and would like to fix it while we are hauled for the summer.
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by samtheskull »

Hi, I have not been able to source the rudder bushings as yet. I will report when I do. I am building new rudders now and would like to renew the bushings before fitting them
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by Briandutra »

I have water leaking into the port aft space and suspect it is due to the rudder bearing leaking. Were you able to find a source for your rudder bushing? I have the LRC model.
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by Allie-May »

Water shouldn't be able to come up through the shaft as it extends above the water line. Are you getting water in the compartment below where the rudder controls connect? If so, then it is likely from a leak in an inspection plate, ladder mount, or backstay chainplate. Taste the water in the compartment to determine if it's fresh water (rain water) or salt water. This will help you determine where to look.

I had a similar issue. Rain water was overflowing from the hatch channel into the rudder compartment then would leak through a failed seal on the inspection plate. I removed the inspection plate and old sealant then resealed with silicon to resolve the trouble.
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chicagocat
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by chicagocat »

Hey guys,
Seawater does indeed come up through the rudder shaft. The problem is that the fiberglass enclosure for the rudder shaft that goes up through the "water tight" compartment can crack. I believe that this happens more often in northern boats. I believe the bushing gets lost or goes up the enclosure, then water gets stuck up there, and freezes when the boat is stored over winter, and the expansion cracks the rudder enclosure. Both rudder enclosures on my boat cracked and I got seawater in them (lots of it, it filled them, maybe 60 gallons on each side). I patched the rudder enclosures (after creating an inspection port into the "water tight" compartment). This has worked well until recently, and I have water in both compartments now.

This fall, I intend to drop both rudders and see what I can do to fix the problem permanently.

I believe that many more 36s have water in those compartments than people know, since there is no way to look in there unless you've created an inspection port.
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amytom
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by amytom »

Same thing on the 32’s. I not only created the access ports but put bilge pumps in the areas wired to a manual switch.

After adding a few layers of glass to the stbd post seems most of the flooding in that area is from rainwater entering the lazarette.
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Re: PDQ 36 Rudders

Post by thinwater »

Yes, I would routinely get a small amount of rainwater on the starboard side from rainwater. Only a few gallons per year, so I just bailed with a cup. Odd that they designed it so that the locker drained into the hulls. Makes it a pain to hose it out clean. I only did it twice.
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