Author Topic: Rudder Bearings Siezed Removed & Renewed 2021 part 2 (Read 21365 times)

Gardan · « **Reply #50 on:** July 14 2021, 12:44 »

top hat damage 2

Gardan · « **Reply #51 on:** July 14 2021, 12:45 »

top hat x 3

SYJetzt · « **Reply #52 on:** July 14 2021, 13:23 »

One thought:
There shouldn't be any movement between the upper bearing housing and the bearing, so the load on the bearing housing is only static. All the movement (and wear and tear) should appear between rudder stock and rudder bearing (if everything is correct).
So i would fair the surfaces of the bearing housing to remove all edges caused by drilling and put everything together.
I think you have enough proper surface in the housing to carry the bearing.
But for peace in mind to can replace it (if you get it!). I would choose sailing with that part instead of waiting for the new part.

GeoffV · « **Reply #53 on:** July 14 2021, 14:20 »

I don't suppose some aluminium welding and machining at a non marine machine shop would be cheaper than an official replacement?

Gardan · « **Reply #54 on:** July 14 2021, 18:47 »

Hi Geoff , yes agree on cost however it won’t cost me anything at the body shop as I have some involvement in the business, but it’s not actually about the cost it’s the time element , I’m thinking a new unit may take many weeks and I haven’t sailed at all this year , this job came up after fixing other stuff the last two months . It’s more to do with time time than cost .

Gardan · « **Reply #55 on:** July 14 2021, 18:53 »

Yes Syjet, I would obviously have to see an assess the smoothness of the repair , but my thoughts are similar to yours , there isn’t much loading at all on the damaged area especially with the new Jeffa bearing having rollers in the inside which make contact with the rudder shaft .

Gardan · « **Reply #56 on:** July 16 2021, 16:29 »

another development with the Rudder - Leaking Water , rudder seems to have water in it .
Any advice on this please?

Gardan · « **Reply #57 on:** July 16 2021, 16:30 »

another pic , so far a half pint of water from the rudder

Gardan · « **Reply #58 on:** July 16 2021, 16:37 »

ruuder leak pic 3

This is with the rudder flipped over and where I am draining the water from the rudder , dont want to seal this until its dry.

Anyone experienced this before ?

Gardan · « **Reply #59 on:** July 16 2021, 19:47 »

ha ha turning out to be proper little project this Ha ha !!

I' suspect the rudder is letting in from the top of the rudder where the shaft joins the rudder , I'll seal that after draining the rudder.

I've drilled a 6mm hole at the base of the rudder to drain it proper , it felt about an inch I think to punch through the fibreglass rudder to the hollow middle, I didn't know it was hollow untill i researched the leak .

Gardan · « **Reply #60 on:** July 16 2021, 19:48 »

base of rudder drill hole

Gardan · « **Reply #61 on:** July 16 2021, 20:06 »

Going to leave it in my garage for a week to drain and dry out

Gardan · « **Reply #62 on:** July 16 2021, 20:17 »

see pic

Gardan · « **Reply #63 on:** July 16 2021, 20:48 »

I am sure the bearings being 22 yrs old where ready to fail regardless of the water filled rudder , however , is it any coincidence that the rudder is full of water ? I have no idea of how the design of the rudder is meant to interact with the boat and bearings and interact if at all with the sea, apart from the obvious steering use . But if the rudder is made of fibreglass and is hollow one might assume that it was designed to have some buoyancy ? does it ? and if so then having a rudder which is full of water would affect the steering and the strain on the bearings quite considerably I would imagine , or am I way off? any thoughts or knowledge ?

Does the fibreglass hollow of the rudder push up so there is no pressure on the bearings / and transversely if the rudder is full of water and lost its buoyancy is it adding undue strain to the bearings ? if this is so , then checking your rudder has no water in it when antifouling would take 10 mins - drill a small hole and if no water comes out mix a bit of epoxy and fill ...job done, if water comes out , I'm afraid that could be a rudder drop to check the top joint to the rudder.

So instead of my rudder floating in the water , its been dragging me down filled with water ? I suspect my steering will be much lighter after all this.

This is all speculation at this point I 'd love some more experienced views on these thoughts please .

symphony2 · « **Reply #64 on:** July 16 2021, 22:54 »

The rudder is foam filled and water ingress is quite common - not just on Bavaria rudders, just endemic of the type of construction. The usual entry point is as shown in your pic where it is coming out - that is where the stock goes into the blade. To drain the rudder, drill a hole in the bottom and stand it upright. When it has stopped dribbling you can plug the hole with epoxy. Realistically you can never hope to get it dry without splitting the rudder, removing the damp foam and refoaming. To minimise further ingress, there are potentially 2 methods. First dig out the GRP in a circle around the stick about 20mm deep, then if it is dry enough fill with an epoxy dough mix of silica and microballoons. alternatively set a close fitting O ring around the stock and fill with Sika.

Klausen · « **Reply #65 on:** July 17 2021, 16:38 »

I had also water in my rudder. One winter on the hard with frost the rudder was broken. A netherland company built up a new ruder with plywood in epoxy around the old rudderstock. They say it will last longer than the boat.

tiger79 · « **Reply #66 on:** July 17 2021, 18:53 »

Quote from: Klausen on July 17 2021, 16:38

They say it will last longer than the boat.

But they would say that, wouldn't they?

Gardan · « **Reply #67 on:** July 18 2021, 10:27 »

Thanks Syp , good to know it’s not just my rudder also .

Yngmar · « **Reply #68 on:** July 19 2021, 22:36 »

Water in the rudder is very common on hollow rudder blades. Jefa has an article on the subject showing how to seal around the shaft: https://www.pyiinc.com/downloads/jefa/rudder-antifouling-instructions.pdf

Never store the rudder laying down flat - the water can pool inside and cause blisters. Store it standing/hanging upright and drill a drain hole at the bottom.

As the rudder is filled with PU foam, it's not going to dry out entirely this way, but it'll help. I happened to have a vacuum pump around and stuck a hose in the drain hole and it got a lot of water out after it had stopped dripping. But don't worry too much if you can't get it dry - most people sail around with some water in theirs.

Or go sail around Galicia and let an Orca chew it off for you

Gardan · « **Reply #69 on:** July 22 2021, 09:35 »

Thanks Yngmar, can anyone recommend alternative to Velox rudder base paint around the lower bearing housing , my order for it was cancelled due to Europe exports issue. I’m in the UK

symphony2 · « **Reply #70 on:** July 22 2021, 13:35 »

Trilux, same as you should use on the saildrive housing and propeller. Has to be renewed annually but no big deal.

I understand Velox has been banned in the UK but you may still find it in stock in chandlers such as Force4.

Gardan · « **Reply #71 on:** July 23 2021, 08:27 »

Force 4 do have Velox & the primer thanks Symp , on order , cheers for that .