I just replaced the rudder bushings on my Eclipse and have a couple tips that others may find useful.
After punching the old bushings out with a pin punch I found everything to be pretty worn. They appeared to be solid bronze. They were all worn to over 0.317" on the inside diameter. And the 5/16" bolts were worn were the bushings ride.
I decided to go with a single longer bushing to replace the pair in each boss. The length of the casting bosses varied a bit but were all just slightly over 1 ΒΌ" so that's the length I went with.
Actual part used McMASTER-CARR 2868T71
https://www.mcmaster.com/#2868t71/=1amzdf0
To further reduce slop I opted for M8 metric bolts in place of the 5/16". The actual shank diameter on a partially threaded 5/16" bolt can be as small as 0.307". That's a pretty sloppy fit for this small of shaft. 8mm is couple thousandths over 5/16" and most M8 bolt shanks measure within 0.310-0.312". Just the perfect fit to a true 5/16" bushing. Actual bolts used were partially threaded M8-1.25 x 80mm long, stainless steel of course. I thought of using actual 5/16" shaft and threading the ends but that sounded like a lot more work and cost to get the same results.
Assembly was very simple. I just used a fully threaded bolt with a nut and washer to press the bushings in. I did this all in my garage but would have no hesitation doing at a slip. While I had it apart I removed the gudgeon and blasted and re-painted the castings.
The end result is a free turning rudder with almost no slop that I expect to hold up better than the original.
Wow...great write up Slode. Having an Eclipse this will come in handy someday soon.
Great information Slode. This is on my winter to-do list for my CP16 and this is the exact information I needed. I think I have to drill out the holes on the 16's gudgeon to 1/2", then the referenced bushings should fit perfectly. M8 bolts are a great idea.
For people who have the old plastic instead of bronze bushings, the following thread applies (I used it back in 2015):
http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=2115.0
Jon