Hi folks, I figured Id do a write-up in case someone else runs into a similar problem.
From what I can tell, Yamaha had two design types for this setup: one with an exposed rudder tube (so a wheel pedestal could be added later), and one that was fully enclosed — like in the post above.
Access — The Biggest Challenge:
Access was by far the hardest part. My first attempt was through the propane locker by removing the insert, but that space was far too cramped. My boat has a water heater, Espar, and fridge compressor mounted on the starboard side, which didn’t help.
I tried removing the compressor to gain more room but that failed. (Still, I recommend pulling the insert out — the extra light and airflow helped a lot.)
After posting on some forums, people suggested accessing it by removing the bulkhead on the port side of the quarter berth. After two days of trying, I couldn’t figure out how — my bulkhead appears to continue right through to the propane locker.
I did, however, remove the small access door, which gave me just enough space to wedge my shoulders in. Painful, but doable for 10–15 minutes at a time. And that’s when the real work began.
Removing the Packing Gland:
I started by removing the bolts holding the packing gland in place. Unfortunately, the previous repair (from my original post) made it impossible to get a wrench on, so I had to use pliers with tiny turns — painfully slow.
Once the bolts were out, I could remove the top plate of the packing gland. Unfortunately, this still didn’t give me the access I needed, so I had to drop the rudder. Thankfully, my boat was on the hard.
Dropping the Rudder:
Dropping the rudder wasn’t hard but was tricky. My tiller mounting plate has two set screws and two compression bolts. The previous owner had covered them all with silicone, and brass oxidation didn’t help. It wasn’t until a friend suggested using a torch that the silicone bubbled and revealed the hidden bolts.
Once the plate was off, I had to dig a hole under the rudder (it’s quite long) to drop it fully. Once that was done, access was finally not a problem — and real progress could start.
Discovering the Root Cause:
My initial plan was to tap the gland out from below, inspect it, and rebed if possible. But no matter what I tried, the lower part wouldn’t move vertically — only side to side.
After chatting with some folks at the yard, I learned that some designs have set screws glassed in to prevent movement — and that mine might have failed.
I started grinding to investigate and found that my suspicion was right: the fiberglass tape was just a poor patch by a previous owner. Once I began grinding, the entire thing came off in one piece. It looked like the gland had started moving, and they’d tried to fix it, but the wrap was over gelcoat and never bonded properly.
The Real Design:
After more grinding, I found something interesting — Yamaha didn’t use set screws at all. Instead, the bronze gland has horizontal and vertical grooves cast into it. These grooves are filled with epoxy, which bonds the gland to the fiberglass and prevents movement.
In my case, the
vertical grooves weren’t bonded, allowing side-to-side play, while the
horizontal grooves were bonded tightly, preventing the gland from being tapped out.
The Fix:
I hired a professional to re-glass the area properly — I wanted it done right and strong. After cleaning and scuffing the glass, they applied eight new layers of fiberglass and plenty of epoxy resin to fill the grooves and bond the gland securely.
Ran out of pic space, will continue in a second post
