You CAN straighten your rudder shaft!!
I bent my rudder shaft when I was pulled of a grounding. As I was scheduled for a haulout, I had the boat yard drop my rudder. They had a company that would rebuild the rudder. Big bucks. I figured if the shaft was bent in one direction I could bend it back. I bought some timbers, some long 5/8" all-thread rod and nuts, and a 6 ton hydraulic jack. I jigged the rudder and gradually applied force in several steps to the bent area until I was able to straighten it. My rudder was bent in two planes so I had to work it a lot. Two evenings later I had a straight (not perfect, but acceptable) rudder shaft. If you would like a diagram of my jigging arrangement let me know your email address. If your rudder shaft is badly bent you might have to have it professionally rebuilt. I do not know if you can buy a new one from the factory. My boat is a '77/C27.
