h260 rudder post removal

gudiss

.
Jul 19, 2016
28
hunter h260 ocean city nj
hi all, trying to remove my rudder post (h20 w/ wheel). one of the welded tabs at the bottom of post/ flange has cracked and needs a weld. having problems removing the bolt at mid point where connected to the steering cables. any advice??? much appreciated!!
 

gudiss

.
Jul 19, 2016
28
hunter h260 ocean city nj
thanks Dave, the lower tab has a almost cont. crack at the weld on the lower tab. hard to see hear but only pic i had
 

Attachments

Dec 2, 2003
751
Hunter 260 winnipeg, Manitoba
You are talking about the stainless bolt that passes through the aluminum steering quadrant to the Stainless rudder post? I suspect you are the victim of galvanic corrosion. You could try heating and cooling the bolt to try and break the bolt loose - make sure you are using a 6 point socket and not too much force as breaking the bolt is very bad news. (for heat use either an acetylene or mapp torch - heat the bolt and watch the temp as aluminum melts at around 1200ºF) Some suggest a variety of chemical penetrants or bees/candle wax. Tap the head of the bolt with a hammer occasionally. Slow, steady, gentle and lots of patience unless you want to end up drilling out the stainless bolt.

Something else you could try - Take the boat on the trailer to welder who deals with stainless and have them repair the weld/crack with the rudder still on the boat.
 

gudiss

.
Jul 19, 2016
28
hunter h260 ocean city nj
twalker, thank you! i think you may be right with galv. corrosion. i will try what you prescribed above.
 
Dec 2, 2003
751
Hunter 260 winnipeg, Manitoba
You could also try to remove the mounting brackets for the rudder post. Don’t have my boat nearby but I think there are 4 machine screws in the lower bracket going into an aluminum backing plate and 4 in the upper bracket. You may still have galvanic corrosion on these fasteners as well.

If you can remove either bracket you should be able to remove the rudder post without touching the quadrant. (Other than to undo the cables. )