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Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Re: Ruder shaft leak
Posted By: Paul J In Response To: Re: Ruder shaft leak (phil kindla)
Date: Friday, 22 July 2005, at 10:32 a.m.
I just did a major update on my entire rudder system two weeks ago on my 1973 B28. I stopped short of upgrading with Capt. Patrick's oversized rudders, but will tackle that next year.
Good advice to have the first aid kit handy. I'm sporting a large hole in my left hand that will take 3-4 weeks to heal.
Problems to be aware of. On my B28, the rudder shaft through hull bolts are long enough to get in the way of the lower locking nut. Bring lots of patience.
I pulled my boat to remove the rudders and replace the tiller arms with Capt. Patrick's bronze tiller arms. If your B28 has the orginal tiller arms, they may be made of cast iron. Mine were and were cracked and useless. Capt. Patrick got mine to me within 2 days. I highly recommend replacing yours if they show any signs of corrosion.
I used a large pipe wrench as the stuffing box wrench didn't provide a good fit or enough torque. Liberally apply PB Blast to break up any corrosion. Once I was able to loosen the locking nut, I used the pipe wrench to back off the stuffing box. It will be real tricky to remove/replace the packing material if you are trying to get under the shelf. It stuffs UP into the packing nut. Use 4 wraps and alternate the splice 90 degrees on each wrap. My effort was painless as I had removed the rudders and could pull the packing nut out, clean it up and replace the contents. I have no excessive leaks.
If you choose to remove the rudders, make sure you replace the top bearings. You'll need a bearing puller and they'll come out easily. Also, prior to removing the rudders, get some emory cloth and clean off the shaft above the rudder port. This will save you great aggrivation in getting the rudders to pass through the port. The top side of the shaft will have corrosion and pitina that may inhibit its ability to pass easily through the port.
After you remove the rudders, clean the shafts with emory cloth to bright metal. Use a brake cylindar honing tool to clean out the rudder port. This will provide you with a clean port to return the rudders.
When you put the rudders back in, place the new tiller arms over the rudder shaft and then push the rudder back through the rudder shelf. Slip on the new top bearings and secure. Make sure you have good boding wire to all metal components.
Lastly, I used CX on the top bearing and at all bolt connections. Hope to prevent the corrosion from eating the top bearings so fast.
Best of Luck.
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