The rudder of my 1986 23 has a bit of play (side to side) in the area of the pivot bolt. I don't know if there is supposed to be a shim between the rudder and the metal housing, it didn't have one when I bought it, but it seems as if it might need one. Any help would be appreciated.
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Worked Perfectly
Had the same problem. Used a couple of old CD's sprayed with Sailcoat as shims between the rudder & housing. No more wobble and cheap to replace if you have to!
Had the same problem. Used a couple of old CD's sprayed with Sailcoat as shims between the rudder & housing. No more wobble and cheap to replace if you have to!
Paul, rudder bearing?
Paul, thanks for the input. I did'nt have a bearing in the setup when purchased. Can you provide a liitle more insight?
Paul, thanks for the input. I did'nt have a bearing in the setup when purchased. Can you provide a liitle more insight?
a rudder rebuild is about next on my list too
when i took my tiller off to refinish it i noticed that the holes through the metal part that hold the rudder had been wallowed-out significantly. went ahead and took the rudder out and found that the hole through the rudder itself had been wallowed-out too. (it did have a large nylon flat washer on either side tho....cd bushings huh?? good idea!). i plan to find a sleeve to fit through the hole in the rudder and glass this in place, and to drill-out the ovalized holes in the aluminum housing part and put some bushings in there. ....was looking at bronze bushings yeaterday and lowes has some that will probably work with some modification. sounds like this is pretty common on our boats. i can post pics or if anyone has any questions i can get some pics of mine in progress and e mail them
when i took my tiller off to refinish it i noticed that the holes through the metal part that hold the rudder had been wallowed-out significantly. went ahead and took the rudder out and found that the hole through the rudder itself had been wallowed-out too. (it did have a large nylon flat washer on either side tho....cd bushings huh?? good idea!). i plan to find a sleeve to fit through the hole in the rudder and glass this in place, and to drill-out the ovalized holes in the aluminum housing part and put some bushings in there. ....was looking at bronze bushings yeaterday and lowes has some that will probably work with some modification. sounds like this is pretty common on our boats. i can post pics or if anyone has any questions i can get some pics of mine in progress and e mail them
Another approach to fixing slop in the tiller
Lay the tiller on its side and tape the hole on the lower side securely. Then fill it from the top with epoxy (West System or Epiglass is good). When the epoxy cures, drill a hole through the tiller just slightly larger than the bolt. If you want to make sure the hole is square, set the tiller in a drill press. The stock H23 rudder had two large teflon washers between the blade and the housing, but the CDs are a good substitute. The tricky part is repairing the oval holes in the housing. Bushings might not work because the metal is thin. You may have to take the housing to a metal shop and have them weld plates over the holes on both sides. Take the rudder blade pivot bolt along. That way they can use it as a gauge to drill the holes to the exact size. Again, a drill press would be the way to go here. Peter H23 "Raven"
Lay the tiller on its side and tape the hole on the lower side securely. Then fill it from the top with epoxy (West System or Epiglass is good). When the epoxy cures, drill a hole through the tiller just slightly larger than the bolt. If you want to make sure the hole is square, set the tiller in a drill press. The stock H23 rudder had two large teflon washers between the blade and the housing, but the CDs are a good substitute. The tricky part is repairing the oval holes in the housing. Bushings might not work because the metal is thin. You may have to take the housing to a metal shop and have them weld plates over the holes on both sides. Take the rudder blade pivot bolt along. That way they can use it as a gauge to drill the holes to the exact size. Again, a drill press would be the way to go here. Peter H23 "Raven"
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