Rudder Post Repairs

[Briankinley2004]

Hauled out yesterday to do the bottom as well as other tasks on my new to me 46C. One of those tasks was to replace the rudder bearings. They were loose on the sea trial and began leaking shortly thereafter. Tightening the packing would stop it until I went on a trip. Dropped the port rudder today and was expecting a 4" (one half) cutless bearing to remove but it was only 2". It appears that is the depth of the socket for the bearing and it opens up above that for the packing.

I was cleaning up the rudder post and noticed what appeared to be a crack in the shaft so I hit it lightly with a wire wheel to remove the black crud. When I did a chunk of metal flew off so I went a little deeper. It appears the crack is in the outer metal which is bronze or copper colored but does not go into the deeper metal which appears to be brass. I am curious if a copper sleeve was made for this rudder post to repair it in the past. The picture below should explain.

I read some posts on here mentioning these things could be built back and machined or sleeved. I am hoping I can have something like that done as it looks like a new rudder is about 4 grand. I plan to pull the other one later this week and hope it doesn't have this condition. Anyone dealt with this in the past have any tips or have a recommendation on a machine shop in the Tampa area that can repair this?

 

[madhatter1]

Contact Renovators Yacht in St Pete. Ask for Gary. If he can't fabricate what you need he knows who can.

 

[Briankinley2004]

Thanks for the info. I will reach out when I get this other one pulled

 

[jmooney]

I dropped my rudders last year at the yard , I faced the same problems due to pitting on the shafts . I had the shafts replaced with stainless steel by Lauderdale Propeller . The cost was about $2600 for both which is better that paying $4000 each . Oddly enough, the bid to weld up the shafts and then turn them down to size was more expensive.

 

[Briankinley2004]

Jmooney were your original shafts brass or bronze? I think mine are cast.if so curious how they welded the two metals or connected them

 

[Briankinley2004]

Jmooney were your original shafts brass or bronze? I think mine are cast.if so curious how they welded the two metals or connected them

 

[jmooney]

Jmooney were your original shafts brass or bronze? I think mine are cast.if so curious how they welded the two metals or connected them

They were bronze . Stainless steel and bronze can’t be welded. But nibral can weld to both , that is what was used . The old shafts were cut off . The rudders were drilled . I think that a key of sort was used. It was welded with the nibral . In the photo, the shiny part near the top of the rudders is the ground weld .

 

[Briankinley2004]

They were bronze . Stainless steel and bronze can’t be welded. But nibral can weld to both , that is what was used . The old shafts were cut off . The rudders were drilled . I think that a key of sort was used. It was welded with the nibral . In the photo, the shiny part near the top of the rudders is the ground weld .

Very interesting. That looks like a good fix

 

[Briankinley2004]

Dropped the starboard rudder today and discovered this definitely looks like a sleeve someone put on at one time or at least that what it looks like to me. This piece fell out with the rudder. The prior owner docks at the same yard and is coming by tomorrow. He has alot of contacts and thinks he knows someone locally who can repair. If not I will call Madhatter's contact. Hopefully this can be repaired and I don't have to buy two rudders. That would eat up more than my fuel money for the next year or more.

 

[rsmith]

Shaft sleeves for running surfaces are pretty common. They’re usually stainless though could be a dissimilar metal problem though. Google them they come in all size and thicknesses. It’s not a spinning shaft so not that critical you could probably get away with a composite material

 

[Briankinley2004]

Shaft sleeves for running surfaces are pretty common. They’re usually stainless though could be a dissimilar metal problem though. Google them they come in all size and thicknesses. It’s not a spinning shaft so not that critical you could probably get away with a composite material

I spoke with the company the prior owner knows and they suggested a sleeve as they said it was easy for anyone to repair if I was traveling somewhere. They said they could do the build up too but it was determined a lathe with a 24" swing would be needed to mill this down. They have such a lathe and can do both. I am supposed to take them tomorrow. I was curious how they got the sleeve over the top of the post where it is the stock size. The man told me they heat them in an oven and they expand to make this possible.

 

[rsmith]

A lot of times they will freeze the part and heat the sleeve when both equalize temps it becomes a press fit.