Pearson P30 Rudder Cap
- therapturedesigns
- May 21, 2018
- 2 min read
The original rudder cap that came with the Pearson P30 was a cast piece of aluminum with shimmed sides to accommodate for the cast aluminum hinge piece that connects the tiller to the rudder tube. The one that came with my boat was in dire need of replacement and what better time to replace it than by making my own, while taking CNC certification courses. The original cap was a few hard pulls away for completely separating from the rudder tube and allowing the rudder to drop into the drink. Plus I needed to remove the rudder for year one of the rebuilt to drain, and inspect the internal structure of the rudder as well as replace the horrendously worn rudder bushings.
To build the new rudder cap I started with brand new 6"x6" block of 6061 aluminum. I made a few drawings of the original rudder cap which can be downloaded for free here: Then considered how I could potentially improve the design and make replicating it easier. I settled on a design that basically kept the same basic shape, and hole placement however, I opted not to remove any extra material. The pictures of the comparison between the two highlight this.
In order to make the part I measured key dimensions from the original part and rudder tube. Then transcribed these into the block of aluminum. Chucking the part into the vise of the lathe and turning it on for the first time was a little scary. I wanted to preserve as much of the original block for the future if I needed more aluminum. I milled a hole to slightly over the diameter of the rudder tube and drilled the holes for the bolt that secures the rudder cap to the tube and the tiller in their original locations.
Then I used a metal cutting band saw to work the block into something closer to the final size, leaving a decent amount of wiggle room. Next I printed a one to one scale picture of the rest of tube that I made from a high definition reference photo. I used a band saw to work the part down to roughly the dimensions. I finished the part with a belt sander and a grinder with a flap disk to break the edges, as well as stopping every few minutes to test the part in the tiller bracket. Compared to the cast rudder cap that a company sells for $390 I made a new one for ~$60. Got to learn another skill for the mental toolbox.
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