• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Rudder Bearing Replacement

Ed Valente

Member II
I need to replace the upper rudder bearing on my 90' Olson 911 SE. Does anyone have any experience with this ? I would also would prefer to go with a roller bearing to replace the stock friction. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Ed.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Friction and steering...

Hi Ed,
What kinda bearings are there now? Our O-34 has no separate bearings inside the tube, FWIW. We just have the usual hard-to-reach grease fittings. I do know of a '90 O-34 that had Harken bearings. They fractured and were replaced quite a few years ago -- that particular boat was sold up to the puget Sound region and the owner has not stayed in touch.
Are you looking at going with roller bearings or ball bearings?

Let us know what you find out and decide...

I have talked to the yard about converting our boat, but they say the old FRP tube has to be cut out and a larger ID tube glassed in (big $$) with room for them fancy bearing races.

Now IF you talking about the top bearing at the top of the transom, that is indeed a metal caged bearing of some sort on our boat. I can see the bottom of it from inside the back end of the boat, and just barely reach the zerk fitting, but it is quite difficult to get in there. :)
Can you post a picture or two?

Best,
Loren in PDX
 
Last edited:

raslocum

Member I
rudder friction bearing

For what it's worth, Gougen brothers puts out a free manual that addresses fixing worn play within a rudder friction bearing with epoxy and a graphite additive. I'm about to try it on my Father in laws E-23. Seemed like a really easy fix to an otherwise seriously difficult repair project. Shoot me a line if you'd like me to locate the article.
 
Top