Did Hobie use aluminum pins so as to break the pins verses ripping gudgeons out of hulls or breaking gudgeons?

Yup. Recommended for the beach.

I made myself some stainless ones, but to be honest, I kind of cringe using them sometimes for just that reason. Not sure that aluminum would stop a hard backwards strike from busting up a transom either though. Technique and caution is all I've got I guess.

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Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
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they also make nylon ones for light to med air and i assume beginners

Stainless pins will route out holes in aluminum rudder castings much faster than aluminum pins. The wear with aluminum against aluminum is way slower and it will take much longer, if at all, for the castings to become too loose.

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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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True, but on my Hobie, there's no metal to metal contact, except for the gudgeons, which are stainless. The rudder casings/castings have delrin bushings that take the wear. No stainless to aluminum contact in theory.

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Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
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charlescarlis

True, but on my Hobie, there's no metal to metal contact, except for the gudgeons, which are stainless. The rudder casings/castings have delrin bushings that take the wear. No stainless to aluminum contact in theory.

Ditto for my Hobie 18. I put the bushings in to get rid of rudder slop.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Stainless wont do anything to aluminum castings if you use the nylon bushings like you are supposed to or even better make some brass ones and then you don't have floppy rudders. The worst thing about aluminum pins is that they are always worn or bent and add tons of play to your rudders.

If you beach launch and cant figure out how to get away without crashing back into the beach backwards then then I'd choose a different location more suited to your skill level or I'd not sail in that light of winds that you cant leave the beach.

I've only run stainless and never regretted it. I've seen the fiberglass pins break before, no way I'd ever run that.

Agree 100% with tamupower.

Nylon, fiberglass, aluminum all wear and break. When they snap off 5 miles from home, you will have a fun chore trying to sail home with one rudder (every sailor I’ve spoken to who’s had it happen said it was a huge PITA). Maybe bring a spare pin on the boat if you plan to use something other than stainless (good luck getting it installed on the water though...). Personally, I use stainless in all conditions because they simply don’t break.

sm



Edited by Dogboy on Aug 19, 2020 - 05:23 PM.

I use 6061 T6 Aluminum pins, 3/8" diameter rod from Home Depot for pins. Hack out a pile of them at the beginning of the season. I trailer with my rudders off so it's very easy to inspect the pins. If they start showing wear (grooves, bands etc.) just swap them out. I use split rings instead of cotter pins to make the change quick and easy.

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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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So Hobie, NACRA, Prindle, and most other cat builders used aluminum pins (pintles) for four decades. The fact is that it takes A LOT of wear or force to break them. I have seen a lot more gudgeons ripped out of fiberglass transoms than I have seen broken pins. You inspect the pins when you put the rudders on, right? I'm agreeing here:

leeboweffect

If they start showing wear (grooves, bands etc.) just swap them out.

A stainless pin in a stainless gudgeon will wear slower than with an aluminum pin, but both will wear and who wants the gudgeon to widen?

I did install a kit on my P 16 that had four brass bushings for each rudder, 2 on the casting and 2 for each gudgeon, and a stainless steel rod as the pintle. It was a very smooth and tight system. The only problem was keeping the brass bushings attached to the SS gudgeons. Had to epoxy them three times over 8 years. This probably reflects the quality of epoxy glue in the mid 80s, or my ability with it.

My $0.02.

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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I've got to chime in as I believe in Nylon Pins.
I've had Gudgeons ripped out of the stern a couple of times and had to do an inspection port and through-bolt repair because the aluminum or stainless steel rudder pins didn't break before the gudgeons did.

I'd much rather have a Nylon Pin fail and break before the gudgeon rips out of the stern



Edited by topcat16 on Aug 20, 2020 - 09:35 AM.