Gudgeons & Pintles on the Alberg 30

When Al Suwalsky, owner of Good Week #267, asked me to take a look at his rudder, this is what I found. One side of the two-piece gudgeon was completely cracked off. It's a wonder it didn't fall off.

I chipped off the paint and fairing putty and removed the bolts holding it into place. It was clear that work had been done here before, by the protruding nuts on the other side of the keel and by the fact that the bolts were stainless, instead of bronze. I don't recommend stainless below the waterline, because of the danger of crevice corrosion.

I found that the gudgeon on this boat was formed by welding bronze straps onto a bronze bushing that had been cut in two (not quite in the middle). I doubt that the boat came with this gudgeon from Whitby—I think it was probably replaced some time over the years. The holes were not ideally placed.

Here we can compare this welded gudgeon with a cast gudgeon which Whitby installed on later boats like mine (hull #543). Notice that the cast gudgeon has offset bolt holes. Flat head machine screws are threaded into the fiberglass keel—not through-bolted with nuts sticking out the other side. The holes are offset, so that the machine screws from each side do not interfere with each other.

Also, there are two smaller holes, tapped on only one of the cast gudgeon halves, where the two sides are bolted together close to the pintle. This makes a strong and rigid arrangement.

By the way, the pin holding the rudder in the shoe was corroded to virtually nothing. I think that this allowed the rudder to be pushed sideways by the force of the water, stressing the gudgeon until it cracked. It's a good argument for checking the condition of underwater components every time you haul the boat and replacing anything that's worn. If one part is not doing its job; it may cause others to fail.

Different Hardware on #231

Michel Taylor sent photos of the pintles & gudgeons he found on #231. These, instead of being cast, are formed with 1" by 1/2" bronze straps. As you can see, these parts were quite worn when he measured them. While the hole in the gudgeon was measured at 9/16", I suspect it was orignally 1/2". This splits the difference with the pintle measured at 7/16" diameter.

The gudgeon was mounted on the keel, and you can see it was spread to fit.

He reports that the pintle may be worn from it's original length and diameter.

The pintle was mounted on the rudder.

This Old Boat by Don Casey Subtitled "turn a rundown fiberglass boat into a first-class yacht on a shoestring budget," this book is the best introduction I know boat maintenance for the new or prospective owner of a "modern classic" sailboat. Starting with guidelines for selecting a boat, Casey proceeds to fiberglass repairs, cabin and deckwork, spars and rigging, boat equipment, woodwork, electrical, plumbing, refrigeration, painting, canvas work and sails. All of this is described in clear, simple terms perfect for the inexperienced. This is the book that taught me fiberglass work. But don't let it fool you; this book is appropriate for experienced boatowners, too. I still refer to it. Other books by Don Casey

• Boat Maintenance
• Spars, Sails & Rigging
• Hull & Deck
• Deck Gear
• Steering
• Mechanical Propulsion
• Electrical
• Head
• Plumbing
• Accomodations
• Tools
• disorganized

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