Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:30 pm

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 23 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 2:16 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:51 am
Posts: 14
Anyone make them?


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:54 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Sat May 02, 2009 5:22 am
Posts: 675
Location: Columbus, Indiana
Rudder pins are easy to make. I use grade 316 stainless steel. Use a variable speed drill and drill slow with steady pressure. The slower you run the drill the better and use tap water to keep the bit cool. Build a couple of sets and pick your favorite to use. Now you will have some spares to give away.... :D

If you don't have the time or skill, they really are affordable to buy from your dealer. I work with metal for a living, so it's no problem for me.

I lose a rudder pin once while out of state and helped myself to the aluminium rod used for a toilet paper holder I found in a port-a-john.......... :roll: shame on me......... :wink:

Always keep a spare set and travel with some basic tools

Good luck..........

_________________
Bill 404 21SE
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:44 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:51 am
Posts: 14
Bill, Much thanks. I will copy that and keep the Porta Potty inventory in mind...


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:50 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:15 am
Posts: 213
Location: Indialantic, FL
I recently made a set from aluminum rod that I found at Home Depot. Cost about $4 total for both.

_________________
2007 Hobie Tiger


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 10:45 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:21 pm
Posts: 379
Location: Winston Salem, NC
I also have made them from aluminum rod. It is cheap and easy enough to make extras though the first set lasted a long time. I think there used to be plastic rods available that were designed to shear off if the rudders hit the bottom in rough surf. I thought they were sold by Hobie.

_________________
Howard


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:25 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
There are a lot of different aluminum alloys out there and they all have different strength properties. Unless the alloy is specifically stated, I wouldn't expect Home Depot aluminum rod to be anything other than architectural grade (lowest grade).

The OP asked this same question on another forum and my response here is the same - I wouldn't use anything other than stainless steel for rudder pins (316 or 18-8 alloy). Every other material is susceptible to bending, wearing, and breaking. The rudder system is too critical to risk a broken pin. If you surf sail, maybe consider using a softer pin material (although I wouldn't). For all other sailing, use stainless - they don't break, no brainer. You can very easily make your own stainless pins if you have a hack saw, flat file, center punch, and drill (press).

sm


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:53 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2003 2:48 pm
Posts: 229
Location: Hatteras Island, NC.
Way back, 14s used to come with nylon pins designed to break if you backed over the rudders in the surf. They were amazingly durable for something designed to break! Hobie still lists them- P/N 10881000. For any other use, I go with stainless. I still keep a pair of the nylon ones for use when I sail off the beach.

Dave


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:13 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
Keep in mind that the loads on a H14 rudder are a lot lower than they are on the bigger boats. There was a H18 at the nationals last year that broke a rudder pin and caused a major collision - it was not a stainless pin.

For anyone who thinks having a break-away rudder system is a good idea, I'd recommend you take your boat to a lake on a light wind day, sail out to the middle and pull out one of the rudder pins and then try sailing back to shore. Now imagine trying to do that in the ocean when it's blowing 20.

sm


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 3:49 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:00 pm
Posts: 560
Location: Charlottesville, VA
I'd rather try to sail without a rudder pin than sail without a transom.

_________________
'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 5:00 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
AntonLargiader wrote:
I'd rather try to sail without a rudder pin than sail without a transom.


Perhaps.

The way I look at it, if I back down a wave and rip out my transom in the surf, it is going to happen less than 100 yards from shore (probably more like 25 to 50 yards). Getting back to the beach should be doable and more importantly, getting myself and my crew back to the beach shouldn't be an issue (i.e. worst case ditch the boat and swim in).

If I'm sailing a couple miles from my launch site and I bust a rudder pin, its going to be a real struggle sailing back in, especially if I have to sail upwind and/or the good rudder is on the windward side of the boat.

Again, if you think sailing on one rudder won't be too difficult, try it or talk to someone who's done it. My preference is to remove as many components from my boat as possible that are prone to (unexpected) failure.

sm


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 6:44 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:53 pm
Posts: 372
Location: san diego
BobBill - We bought our 1979 Hobie 16 in 1980. In 1983 I was advised by a more experienced member of our Fleet to replace my metal rudder pins with plastic (Delrin) pins. It's the "weakest link" and better to break the rudder pins than the rudder or transom. I bought an 8 ft. delrin rod and cut them to about the same sizes as the metal pins that came with my boat. I drilled a small hole at one end and put a cotter pin through them. 31 years later I'm still sailing with the original delrin rudder pins. I live in Southern CA and sail a lot year round - mostly in the bay and the ocean. I keep the original metal pins in a small bag, with the rest of the emergency small parts, that I attach to the tramp. That 8 ft. delrin rod (3/8") cost $4.48 in 1983. I still have that receipt in my Hobie file. It probaply sells for about $10 - $15 now. That's about $5 - $7.50 per rudder pin with several left over. Whenever we sail in the ocean we go out several miles off shore. I've sailed to Catalina from San Pedro several times. We don't baby the boat or the rudders and pins.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 6:54 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:51 am
Posts: 14
richandpat wrote:
BobBill - We bought our 1979 Hobie 16 in 1980. In 1983 I was advised by a more experienced member of our Fleet to replace my metal rudder pins with plastic (Delrin) pins. It's the "weakest link" and better to break the rudder pins than the rudder or transom. I bought an 8 ft. delrin rod and cut them to about the same sizes as the metal pins that came with my boat. I drilled a small hole at one end and put a cotter pin through them. 31 years later I'm still sailing with the original delrin rudder pins. I live in Southern CA and sail a lot year round - mostly in the bay and the ocean. I keep the original metal pins in a small bag, with the rest of the emergency small parts, that I attach to the tramp. That 8 ft. delrin rod (3/8") cost $4.48 in 1983. I still have that receipt in my Hobie file. It probaply sells for about $10 - $15 now. That's about $5 - $7.50 per rudder pin with several left over. Whenever we sail in the ocean we go out several miles off shore. I've sailed to Catalina from San Pedro several times. We don't baby the boat or the rudders and pins.


Richandpat, splendid idea. Much thanks. I have potentially acquired some SS pins, but will also do yours. I do not plan to use boat in heavy surf anyway. Thank-you for responding I will find the rod on line, someplace.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:10 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 8:28 am
Posts: 791
Location: Clinton Lake, KS
srm wrote:
For anyone who thinks having a break-away rudder system is a good idea, I'd recommend you take your boat to a lake on a light wind day, sail out to the middle and pull out one of the rudder pins and then try sailing back to shore. Now imagine trying to do that in the ocean when it's blowing 20.
sm


:D Agree 1000% My first summer on an old H14 I had this happen.. my daughter was 8-9 years old, we were on an inland lake with it blowing 20+. Just ripping across the lake and something gave.. Not sure what I hit, but apparently those pins get old and brittle... Also the boat had the "old" fancy tiller connection system which was more like a ball joint, and not easily disassembled.. (with H20 connectors this would have been no big deal) The leeward pin just snapped.. So with it howling (remember 220lb guy on H14 with kid) I wrestle the tiller crossbar and rudder assembly onto the tramp. Manage with no easy effort to break that setup free of the starboard tiller/rudder assembly.... Cool.. Now I have one rudder.. The starboard one.. The problem was that I needed to be on a port tack, and that wasn't happening with me on the leeward side of the boat in those conditions.. So I sailed to the other side of the lake, found a suitable tree branch, lashed to to the tiller and back across the lake we went.

My daughter still talks about "Survivor: Longview lake".


Truth be told, yeah.. use those pins.. The day didn't go as planned.. but we had a lot of fun :P

_________________
www.thehobiewayoflife.com


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:45 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:51 am
Posts: 14
I already found a Delrin source...now wonder how to use rod and some carbon tape to reinforce and craft removeable outboard motor mount to attach to 4" rear aka on my project.

Wonderful idea, Delrin rod.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:55 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Thu May 03, 2012 4:56 pm
Posts: 72
BobBilll wrote:
I already found a Delrin source...
...


Got a link for that ? --please !

Bille


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 23 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group