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Our new Top Hat has a wobbily rudder shaft. Probably bearings/bushes. It was also noted in the survey done two years ago by the previous owner.

Is there any drawings of the rudder/shaft system & description on what and how to remove the bearings, etc. I found a posting on the forum with three sketch drawings but I can not read any of the detail on them.

Do the bearings have to be made up or can cutlass bearings for prop shafts be used ?

Thanks

Topi,

To service the rudder you will have to remove the bottom shoe [4x 3/8' SS bolts or bronze pins if it hasn't been off since launch].
Replace bolts with new SS and pull out and replace every 5 years or so.

Remove the tiller gear and you will find that the rudder will drop out.

Best done inwater [tie a line on it!] but if done on a slip you will need 800mm clearance below the keel at the angle of the rudder to be able to remove it.

You will need about 8" of cutlass bearing [4" top and bottom] for the rudder shaft above the rudder blade. Fix in tube with a wee bit of aradit.

To fix the bottom of the shaft [in the shoe] will require investigation when you get it out. I made up various bits of plastic tube to get a tight fit.
There should be a plastic washer on top of the shoe on which the rudder bears. Replace it if it's gone etc.

While you have the rudder free check it for leaks, it's hollow, and repair as necessary.

Before replacing check that the tiller block can be tightened firmly to the rudder shaft. I'm relying on bronze shims which is not good enough and I will have to attend to that next month.

Have fun

Awesome - thank's Phillip for the tips.

What are the dimensions ID & OD for the cutlass bearings, I will try to get some material in advance of removal.

Out of interest are Top Hat rudders and shafts regarded as reliable and tough ? Anything to watch out for.

Good to hear about removal in the water, I would not have though that way until you mentioned it. Sounds much easier and a good excuse to dust off the scuba gear.

Topi, I had serious problems with my rudder, here's the thread if you missed it. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1047

[In my thread I noticed some of my pics missing so I put 'em back in.]

In brief, I found that small cracks in the fibreglass over the shaft allowed water to seep into the wooden main body of the rudder. If left, the rudder would have eventually fallen off the shaft. I don't know if this was the original rudder or not. The cracks had not been noted in the survey done by a previous owner before I bought her but had obviously been there for ages to allow so much seepage.

I had no problems taking the rudder off, thanks to advice from folk on this forum. Happily my boat was positioned on a slip trolley in such a way that I could just drop the rudder down. I had wood blocks and car jack ready to lower it down but it was light enough that my preparations for something extra heavy was not needed. Unfortunately I had to put my boat back on her mooring without a rudder as it took forever to have it stripped back and dried. Apart from time, the repairs were easy enough.

I had to repair where the rudder shoe went on the main full as that was dodgy (see pics).

Overall I thought the rudder and shaft were tough and the set-up simple enough.

Wow, that is some repair, the photos give a great insight into the construction of the rudder. Thanks

Are all Mark 1 rudders of that sort of plywood/laminated construction ?

"Are all Mark 1 rudders of that sort of plywood/laminated construction ?"

As far as I know yes, but there may be retro-fits out there that we know nothing about.

You will find that the dia of your rudder shaft is all you need to buy the cutlass bearing.
It should fit straight into the rudder shaft tube, but if not you will have to turn it down a bit.

Oh, if done in water you may have to remove the bottom bearing from in the water if you cannot bang it out from above.

[Can be roughly done as the shaft is only doing a half turn max!]