Loose rudder shoe on 1995 28TE

[twomey]

While checking out the boat after hauling it last fall, I discovered a problem with the rudder shoe. There was a small gap between the shoe arm and the skeg right where they attach. On the aft part of the mount, you can actually see a sliver of daylight from one side to the other. Because the bottom of the arm is only a few inches off the ground when the boat is stored, I had never had a good look at how the arm attached to the skeg. So I dug out some of the dirt below the skeg, cleaned things up a little bit, and took some pictures.

The first two pictures show the gap.

Port Attachment.jpg

Starboard attachment.jpg

On the 1995 28, the arm is attached to the skeg by bolts that go directly up thru the arm into the skeg. The next picture shows the bolts and the missing bolts that are holding the arm to the skeg. Also note the center bolt holes that are open on side. And how the remaining bolts are chewing away at the metal. Also it looks like the bolt holes are elongated, but only on the sides, making me wonder if the center bolt holes were ever used. They sure don’t look like it.

Bolt Holes 3.jpg

I thought I would need a new rudder shoe, so I searched the forum and found that you could have one fabricated for about $1000. I then looked on Ebay and found one from a 1996 Albin 28 for $300. Mine is a 1995, so I hoped they would match. Thing is, when I looked at the sellers picture

Albin 28 Rudder Shoe 4.jpg

I thought they showed the same off-center bolt holes as mine, although they did look better. I decided to grab it while I could. When it arrived, I found that it did indeed have the same off-center issue, but overall was in much better shape then my old one. I suspect it may have a slightly different bolt pattern than the original, but trying to get an accurate measurement is difficult.

So now I’m trying to figure out how to proceed. Lots of questions.

Is this a DIY project?
Should I use the new arm ?
Should I just replace the missing bolt(s) and tighten the existing arm?
Can I brace the rudder and the rudder shaft so that I can remove the existing shoe?
Is the ‘erosion’ of the metal around the bolt holes a major problem for the original arm?

Related question: The yard blocked the boat under the skeg instead of just before the skeg as in prior years. Should I be concerned about this ?

I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks,
Tim

[efishnsea]

It appears that theres some kind of pad between rudder shoe and skeg. dosen't look right. Anybody else want to chime in?

[efishnsea]

IMG_2607.JPG

[twomey]

There does seem to be a pad between the arm and the skeg. You can see the white on the port side. Looks like a cloth between the arm and the pad. Here's a cropped view:

Port Attachment cropped.jpg

I believe the skegs bolted on from the side starting in 1997. Albin probably had trouble with the original arrangement.

[efishnsea]

Somebody should be able to modify for you. Probably a good prop shop.

[Norseman]

Looked at mine and thought the gap was filled with caulk, probably 5200.
Interesting that you found a used Albin part on eBay..
(What else was there for the A-28TE? I can only find T-shirts)