2000 Bavaria 42 rudder post

[killianfis.12]

Hello, during the last season it seemed my rudder post started knocking around in a quartering sea and now that it’s out of the water it does seam like I have a considerable amount of play in the rudder. Has anyone had a problem like this before or know how I can go about fixing it? I’d imagine there is some sort of bearing for the rudder post or something I can replace. Thanks !
-Killian

[Symphony]

Sounds like the lower bearing needs replacing. When the boat is out of the water move the rudder from side to side and you will see if the wear is in the bearing. Not difficult to replace but of course you need to drop the rudder out of the boat which means disconnecting the steering quadrant from the top and lifting the boat up (or digging a hole on the ground to drop the rudder down)

You will find details of replacement bearings on the Jefa website.

[Yngmar]

Have a forum search for rudder bearings, you'll find several threads with the details.

[nightowle]

what sort of material are the bearings made of?  Metal ball or roller bearing, or nylon solid piece?  Curious.

[Jake]

Your lower rudder bearing is most likely a plastic sphere mounted in an aluminum shell.  Not the best combination.  I had my rudder bearings replaced this summer with JEFA roller bearings.  Very smooth, but not a cheap job.

Jake

[nightowle]

Thanks Jake.