Hi, Linda. That would be the shoe that the bronze (or SS) shaft rides into at the bottom of the rudder, no? The rudder swivels on an axis provided by the shaft that leads into your hull to the mechanism that attaches to the wheel and at the bottom, there is a shaft that sticks into that shoe. To remove the rudder, you have to take the bolts (pins) out of the bronze shoe to remove it so that the rudder will drop to the ground. You have to make sure the boat is high enough off the ground (or you have to dig a hole under the rudder) so that the upper portion of the shaft will clear the hull for removal.
