30+ Rudder Removal

[Dave G.]

Sooo..another project to squeeze in. I need to replace the prop shaft and have to drop the rudder to do that unfortunately. I have pulled the cutless bearing and still can't get the shaft out. I have done a little homework on the subject as I have not done this before, that being said I wanted to get any and all suggestions, do's, don'ts, tricks, etc. My plan is to dig a 15" hole then board and block the rudder, loosen the steering cables(counting turns), loosen the 4 clamping bolts, remove the thru bolt, and rudder should be free to drop yes/no ? Go back on the ground support the rudder remove the blocking/board and ease it down. What am I missing or need to do before I drop it ? As always thanks for your feedback.

 

[eknebel]

The plan sounds similar to how I successfully removed my rudder. You may want to replace the rudder shaft packing gland material while you are back there.
Plan on two people to reinstall, to make bolt/shaft alignment easier. It isn’t complicated, but do pay attention reinstalling the cables to the quadrant. It is surprisingly easy to reverse them, and make the boat steer the opposite way...

 

[Dave G.]

Ed,
Do I need to remove the cables from the quadrant or just loosen ? Do you recall the packing material and size ?

 

[eknebel]

Sorry don’t remember size, I think the cables need disconnecting to reassemble without kinks. It’s not hard.

 

[bigd14]

Sounds like a good plan. I was able to reinstall by myself, using blocking and a ratchet strap to hold it in place to put the quadrant back on. I don't remember packing size either, sorry. You might do the rudder tube grease zerk replacement while you are in there. AND, replace any old hoses back there, its much easier with the rudder out. Scope creep!

 

[Dave G.]

Well got the rudder out today & went fairly well. I just loosened the cables and tied the aft side the quadrant to an eye on the stern. so when I dropped the rudder everything stayed in place. The bolts were tight but loosened up fine. I blocked it up and decided to remove the thru bolt first and it came out pretty easy, then loosened up the 4 clamping bolts about a 1/2", tapped on the heads with a small ballpeen to separate the quadrant halves.. Went down to the lumber stack under the rudder, while holding the weight started removing blocks one by one, the last one was a little of a hmmm because the hole was under it, timber ! IF I do this again I will use a 4:1 block on the stern cleats to lower it, think that would be easier. Found shim material around the bottom of the rudder shaft, 3 or 4 wraps of it. It was heavier than I thought it would be but maybe just more awkward than heavy. Bigd I like the ratchet strap idea for the install, I'll give that a try.

 

[Dave G.]

The bottom of my rudder shaft is wrapped with what I think is brass shim material and it's really thin like .002-.003 and is in questionable condition from corrosion. I am going to replace that with a different material thinking either SS or bronze ? Curious if anyone knows if it's better to use thinner material with multiple wraps(existing method) or a little thicker material with less wraps ? Thoughts, Ideas ?

 

[Kenneth K]

I've never shimmed a rudder but my guess would be that a single thickness would hold up better than multiple wraps (with saltwater in between each wrap).

Also, sandwiched in between a SS rudder post and a SS bearing, I would think SS shim would be best for corrosion. For wear, maybe bronze is better because it wouldn't abrade the SS, but it might not last as long.

 

[Dave G.]

Thanks Ken,
After further research I'm now thinking a "plastic" type shim like mylar or PTFE /Teflon might be better. From what I can tell the bottom rudder bearing is really just a bushing and it's probably marelon or something similar. There doesn't seem to be a path of replacing that bushing without doing significant surgery & the brass shims that was in there seemed to be doing the job. So I'm going to measure total thickness of the existing brass shim material and try and get a single layer shim to replace it with. The only other method is to inject an epoxy graphite mixture into the rudder tube to form a new smaller bushing. That seems a little tricky to do with such a small space to fill (approx. .08 ") and I think that the shimming will work just fine whether it's SS or ? is my next dilemma. It would also be good if I could get a tiny lip on the bottom of shim to stop it from possibly moving up in the tube.

 

[goldenstate]

Thanks Ken,
After further research I'm now thinking a "plastic" type shim like mylar or PTFE /Teflon might be better. From what I can tell the bottom rudder bearing is really just a bushing and it's probably marelon or something similar. There doesn't seem to be a path of replacing that bushing without doing significant surgery & the brass shims that was in there seemed to be doing the job. So I'm going to measure total thickness of the existing brass shim material and try and get a single layer shim to replace it with. The only other method is to inject an epoxy graphite mixture into the rudder tube to form a new smaller bushing. That seems a little tricky to do with such a small space to fill (approx. .08 ") and I think that the shimming will work just fine whether it's SS or ? is my next dilemma. It would also be good if I could get a tiny lip on the bottom of shim to stop it from possibly moving up in the tube.

I went through this same process (sort of) recently. Why do you want to replace the sleeve/bushing? The 32-3 manual says that the sleeve is made of bronze. Do you really want to replace it?

Mine isn't corroded, but I was thinking of cleaning it by spinning a wire brush on the end of a couple of bit extenders.

Maybe I'm being to paranoid, but aren't you asking for trouble by trying to pull that thing out and replacing it? Maybe stick a bunch of sponges soaked in vinegar up there for a couple of overnight sessions and see if you can eliminate some corrosion?

 

[goldenstate]

Also, FWIW, I used 5/16 packing material for my rudder after seeing references on this thread, and it seems like the exactly the right size.

 

[Kenneth K]

The bushing could be bronze--I didn't really investigate it. Sure looked like rust stains on SS to me...



I guess a few minutes with a Scotch Bright pad would clear up the question.

 

[Christian Williams]

Grease makes it all work, deters wobble and seals the packing gland. So check the grease fitting on the lower rudder tube, replace if necessary, and pump the tube full of grease.

 

[Dave G.]

My lower rudder bushing is definitely not metallic. The upper seems like bronze to me and that one seems fine. As far as the packing goes I didn't have any problem with leaking and visually it looked ok so just more grease I think. . The lower bushing is where I found the brass shimming material. Christian you could be right about grease and I will give that a go before I button it all up to see if just grease will work. I do have some suspicion that the rudder tube has been repaired sometime in the past as the bottom half is painted white and the top half is bare fiberglass but guess that could be factory, just seems strange. Going to be a little trial and error as I have only owned the boat a year now and have no idea why the brass shimming was installed. Good news is I will know a whole lot about it soon, I think...

 

[Christian Williams]

For what it's worth, the rudder tube on both my boats was painted around the base but the rest of it was laid-up glass. As if the tube was installed after the hull was molded.

You know, shimming the post against wear is common and low-tech. You just stick something in there--often stainless shim material--and it solves typical wobble. And some boats have major wobble (thunk thunk every tack) because the top bushing is loose and just needs tightening.

The reported significance of grease in the tube is somewhat anecdotal. The manuals I've looked at don't make a big deal or it--some don;t even mention it--but the presence of a grease fitting in the tube is a message (some boats have a Zerk for the top bushing, too). I happen to be a believer, as grease greatly improved my 32-3, which because of a rusted-out grease nipple had become entirely dry of lubricant.

I swear Ericson used automotive Zerks on the rudder tube--plated, not stainless. Maybe because if greased on schedule they don't rust? Mine was an unrecognizable glob of iron oxide. Stainless replacements are available.

The 381 goes the rudder tube grease fitting one better. A bronze fitting is installed, which is closed with a threaded bronze plug. You only install the actual Zerk when servicing.

 

[Dave G.]

Christian thanks for the info on the tube paint, that's good to know. I have 2 zerks, one at the top bushing and one about 4" below the packing collar. The shaft had some grease on it but definitely not a lot & mostly at the very top and bottom. Visually my zerks look ok, probably because the boat has been in freshwater, but I'll make sure they work before I put the rudder back in. I presumed they were stainless, I'll try a magnet and see.