pintle replacement

[ancbob]

This spring I replaced the lower 3/8 pintle on my kick up rudder. My boat is kept in a slip. In about a week, the pintle had worked loose while in the slip, and disappeared into the lake. I ordered a replacement, and this time used a lock nut to hold it in place. After about another week, the pintle was lost again. I need to come up with a method of securing the lower 3/8 pintle to prevent this from happening again. I am guessing that
I am missing something in regards to securing the pintle properly. I used washers on both sides of the pintle pin. any suggestions?

 

[dave_ren]

Try some Loctite on the threads.

 

[Ken Secor]

My pintles seem to be locked into the frame in such a way that they are both seized and cannot be removed without drilling, tapping or the use of plastic explosives.

They're both fine as is, but should I need to replace them, I'd like to know how. Like everything else on my aluminum framed rudder, all nuts and bolts were/are s.s. However, after 36 years of aluminum oxidation around the s.s. fasteners, nothing fastened, can be backed out. Grinding, drilling, EZ outs and/or complete re-tapping is required. Except for the pintles, that was completely done this past spring.

Should I ever want to replace one or both pintles, is there a better way than the drill and re-tap method?

Now that I know they tend to loosen so easily, perhaps Lock-tite is the answer?

 

[agprice22]

I would be careful to check the tightness of the pintle before sailing! If it comes off during sailing, the results could be catastrophic as the rudder twists and tears away the remaining pintle and gudgeon from the rudder and transom, not to mention, you might lose your rudder in the lake.

In all, sounds really scary.

Thanks,

Andrew