Rob, I have wondered about "play" in the rudder myself and asked, "how much is too much". I had the rudder out about 5 years ago for rebuild. There was no scoring on the post and the only wear I could find in the bushings was a bit of port/stbd ovaling. At the bottom tip of the rudder I get about 1/4" of play side to side. It seems to correlate to a 1 to 2 inch play in the wheel (Yes, I've tightened the drive cables appropriately.) I notice it most in choppy seas when sailing to weather. Generally I don't think this is a problem when hand steering but I wonder if it contributes to the over active nature of my auto pilot.
Thoughts? Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Tue, Nov 6, 2018, 9:09 AM Rob Ball via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com wrote: > Presumably you only need to work on the bushings if the rudder post is > flopping around . . . . > > If you have the ‘Velvet Touch’ on the helm, maybe your rudder post is a > lot happier . . . . . Ha . . . . > > I’ve designed a couple of needle bearings in my time, so if I was rich, > I’d be trying to get a couple of custom roller bearings as a replacement, > but they would only cost several thousand dollars I suspect . . . . > > > > Cheers, *Rob Ball **C&C 34* > > Rob: > > > > Is this a project that owners of all boats of a certain age should be > doing (my boat is now over 40 years old), or are there indicators when this > issue needs a closer look? > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each > and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - > use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > >
_______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray