Rudder Bushings

[Deadrise]

Has anyone here replaced their rudder bushings? looking for guidance and advice.

Thanks, John

[wes]

I ordered a piece of 1/4" HDPE from Amazon and cut my own, using hole saws on a drill press.

Wes

[Deadrise]

Thank you for the response Wes,

What was the process of installing as far as getting the ruder out, were you able to just lower it out while on stands.

Take care,
John

[wes]

Yes, not a difficult job. The boat needs to be high on the stands, or dig a hole under the rudder. Loosen the steering cable eye bolts at the quadrant, loosen the quadrant clamping bolts around the rudder shaft, remove the bolt or pin through the top of the shaft if there is one. The rudder will easily slide out and you can replace both upper and lower bushings if needed.

The rudder is foam cored and susceptible to blistering and water intrusion. I found some very large blisters, about the size of my hand. Debated replacing the rudder but decided to repair the blisters, apply epoxy barrier coat and seal the area where the shaft where it exits the rudder, carving out a little moat with a Dremel tool and filling it with 3M 4200 (photo below).

The rudder shaft tube (log) is PVC or fiberglass on some 27s, stainless on others. The flange where it exits the hull is a weak spot, prone to leakage. Inspect carefully and repair if needed while you have the rudder out.

This is an excellent time to do any repairs or maintenance on the prop shaft, prop, stuffing box, coupling etc. I took the opportunity to pull out the whole assembly and had the prop and shaft trued and balanced and installed a PYI shaft seal in place of the traditional stuffing box.

Wes