Rudder Bearings
I had a 76 Ranger 33 that I sold last year - still some regrets. In any case, I created delrin bushings for the rudder and fit those in the rudder tube. Unfortunately the rudder tube has no recess at the ends for bushings, so the first part of the job was to find a way to enlarge the ends of the tube by about 0.200 in (in dia) at each end. I made a long mandril on which I could mount cutting bits (as used on a metal lathe). I then laboriously turned this by hand, making a enlarged opening about 3 inches long. I then turned Delrin bushings (this could also be done by a machine shop) that had about 0.100 in wall thickness and were 3 inches long. These were then pushed in and fastened with set screws. They can't really come out anyway. It was a bit of a press fit. Lots of hand fitting. I sailed the boat for maybe 8 years like this. Absolutely great; never had any more wobble in the rudder post. But it was a lot of work creating a tool that could cut concentric with the rudder post. I have the actual dimensions written down somewhere. My recollection is that the stainless rudder itself is 2 7/8 in . Good luck. If you have questions try me at george_elenbaas@yahoo.com George
