Another rudder question

  • September 22, 2012 3:50 PM
    Message # 1080176
    Deleted user
    OK, with all your help and encouragement, I pulled the rudder off Siempre Sabado (W28) today.  All went well.  Only had 2 of the carriage bolts spin but a pair of Vise-Grips put a quick end to that.

    So here's what I found:

    My bronze pintles show a little wear but not really excessive.  The pintles are 1" diameter and the smallest diameter I found on any of them on the area inside the gudgeon was 0.975".  More typically, the worn diameter was between 0.990" and 0.995".

    The gudgeons, on the other hand, showed considerable wear.  All were out of round.  Side to side diameters were between 1.03" and 1.05".  Front to back diameters were 1.02" to 1.04".

    My thought is to remove the gudgeons and take them to a machine shop where I can get the holes bored out to some uniform number that leaves them all the same size and round again.  Then have some sleeves made up that will bring the inside diameter back to 1.00" and then reuse my gudgeons.

    My question is: what should the sleeves be made of?

    Bronze?  Going to be really tough to find down here in Mexico.
    Stainless Steel?  But what about electrolysis?

    Other ideas?  The gudgeons are in good shape otherwise and I really don't want to have to make new ones.

    -Steve
  • September 22, 2012 6:46 PM
    Reply # 1080294 on 1080176

    Steve & LuLu,

              The solution is an easy one. I have bronze gudgeons on Patience but the fix will work with any material. Get some 1" cutlass bearings, have the gudgeons bored out to the cutlass bearing OD and press them in. Depending on the gudgeon length you may get two bearings out of one cutlass bearing. If you dont get an exact fit a set screw will make things right.

                           Stay cool in sunland,     Lee

                        

  • September 22, 2012 7:26 PM
    Reply # 1080317 on 1080176
    Deleted user
    Lee,

    Genius, pure genius!  Muchas gracias.  And I can get cutless bearings right here in sunny San Carlos.  Gracias otra vez.

    -Steve & Lulu