SmoCo Sailingvideo
[Ep 43] Dropping the Rudder, Uncovering More Projects & Another Delay
29 December 2025 · 16 min · 941 views · El Tomate, Mexico
Crew lifts heavy rudder from boat hull in yard
What this video covers
Armand and Liya drop the rudder on their sailboat Cosmo — a French-built vessel hauled out in a Mexican boatyard — and discover the lower rudder bearing bushing has stripped threads and no longer locks in place.▶ 6:10 Neither had dropped a rudder before; they worked out the procedure on the fly, loosening the quadrant bolts and walking the rudder down into a hole the yard had dug, with an audience of boatyard workers watching from their lunch break.▶ 5:26 Once the rudder was out, Armand consulted Omar, a local craftsman with 30 years of rudder experience, who confirmed the bushing cannot simply be re-epoxied — it needs replacement.▶ 7:46 Sourcing the correct part is complicated by a thread-standard mismatch between the French boat and potentially American-spec components; a bearing manufacturer in the US confirmed stock availability, requiring a drive across the border.▶ 16:26 The haul-out date slips from May 2nd to May 13th — the third rescheduling — partly due to tidal constraints at the shallow launch ramp.▶ 13:12 Concurrent projects include replacing cracked lazarette drain hoses, re-bonding a saildrive fairing after a failed first attempt, finishing Coppercoat antifouling, gelcoat repair, zinc replacement, prop speed application, and radar repair.▶ 9:22 A drain hose rubbing against the rudder stock is zip-tied clear to prevent recurrence.▶ 9:21
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