Hi all,

Nothing as interesting as wrong yardsticks here.....

I am needing to replace the rudder cross bar on the boat, the old one was too flimsy. Can someone please let me know the diameter and wall thickness that has been found to be best.

Many thanks to all.

Normal bar;I.D 22mm O.D 25mm which if I'm correct equates a wall thickness of 3mm. Not even Nick Baglioni has been able to break one this size... "Make a spare at the same time then you'll never need it" (Gary Maskiell)

If you have the plastic ends with pins on the rudder boxes then drill the holes in the bar as well as the plastic inserts.

*Sligtly different topic, what's everyone's tally of crossbars and tiller extensions this year? I've broken the tips off 2 and today not carrying a spare did the whole shebang. should of listened to Gary

Don't mean to pick at your suggestion but wouldn't it equate to 1.5mm wall thickness? Anyway the stuff you buy from the likes of Goodall, etc.. is 'drawn' aluminium which is a bit stronger than the normal hardware store aluminium. I think the Goodall type tube must be around 1.2mm wall thickness and hardware shop stuff 1.5mm. So I suppose they'd fairly equal at the end of the day, although the hardware stuff is heavier.

3 extensions for me Alu. of various dimensions. Sat on 1, other 2 went in big McCrae chop, bending at the elbow when getting out on the wire... the ends get caught in a wave and see ya later!

I have gone back to the very attractive orange conduit. Bent one to about 45deg. pulled up, bent it back and still going 2 months later. It has the added advantage that when you find it on the wrong side of the shroud at an inconvenient moment, you can just bend it back round. It gives a slightly sloppy feel to the steering but once you get used to it you don't really notice. Works for me anyway.

Many thanks gents.

Best regards.

i have a cross bar that is 1.6 mm wall alloy 1" tube what gary and mitch use, i have put a plastic flush in the end of the tube maybe 3 to 5 mm hanging out and drill in the center of the plastic and put in a Riley swivel and pop rivet it in, to line up rudders ajust the plastic or the swivel till you have measurements right, i found its better to use the riley fittings cos they flex, if you happen to lean on them. plastic cant handle the weight.

Matt

Hi,

The secret is to get drawn tube not extruded. ask for it. costs the same. difference is that it bends a lot before it breaks. they use this style of tube at AHPC. I have used it for years. Highly recommend for cross bars and spinnaker poles. My last spinnaker pole broke the wire holding the front pole just bent like spaghetti but never broke. Just bent back and used for the rest of the season.

Hi all,

I guess you can be lucky, but I have broken the 2 AHPC alloy cross bars I have used . But I haven't broken the tubes I have been buying pre anodised from my local alloy tube supplier , which as was stated has a thicker wall than the AHPC but doesn't bend as much (happy to take the weight penalty) , not sure about if it is drawn or not .

haha by all means correct the person who is obviously wrong! my bad.... If we're getting picky about weight why not carbon

"If we're getting picky about weight why not carbon".

Did that.
Broke that.

"If we're getting picky about weight why not carbon".

Did that.
Broke that."

Ive have carbon cross tiller and extension tiller on both my mossies now so like 6 seasons or so and havent had a problem with breakage and have been left hanging off cross tiller several times when pitch poling.

JUst a point I found. Dont drill the fitting at the centre, cast or make a block that surrounds the bar. Any hole will corrode and weaken. Never broken a cross bar thats not drilled.
AJ

Aj was mentoined by Nat Prog. we have had carbon cross beams and carbon extension tiller for many years and they have been truly tried and tested, breakages nil, zero, zip, nada
And interestly, fitting attached by bolts with holes drilled straight thro' (opposite to AJs thoughts) and still no breakages.
Sometimes the small extra expense pays dividends in the end.

Salpicon de Resplandor
Mk2 1744, LBYC

... Not to mention that carbon also looks very cool!