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So Iluka is out of the water at the moment and I have decided I should check the rudder, the problem is I can't get the tiller attachment that holds the tiller to the rudder post of the shaft, the fitting is bronze and fits to the shaft with a key way pin. I've tried wd40 and a gear puller. I was thinking to try a blow torch next. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Cheers Nick

Hi Nick
That's how I got Egret II off years ago after 30 years . I heated it with one of those Primas torches and made 18mm plywood base 18 inches square with some folding timber wedges and with a little persuasion it popped off , My rudder stock is key the same but has a thread and nut to hold the head on. Did the same to remove Egret's prop last slipping

Cheers Bear

Thanks Bear, today I tried again with a better gear puller and some special penetrating oil I was just about to fire up the blow torch when it finally popped off! The rudder and shaft look like they are in good condition, but I think I will replace the top bearing as the rudder has a slight wobble in it.

Nick,

If the top bearing is gone the bottom one will be to.

Do both. You will have to drop the rudder out anyway.

Good advice Philip! I ended up replacing both bearings with vesconite bearings.

How do you get the bearings out?

Where do you get the replacements?

troppo

Hi Troppo, I brought them over the phone from vesco plastics www.vesco.com.au, they had a standard size that had the right internal diameter, for about $16 each. I had to take about 1.5 mm off the outside to fit them in the rudder tube, I then epoxied them into place. Hopefully they will last 20+ years. Now I'm in the middle of replacing the standing rig, this is causing me some grief as my boat has a double spreader rig, with no adjustment on the intermediate diagonal wires, when I put everything back into place the cap shrouds were too loose, so now I need to add adjusters to the intermediate diagonals.

Cheers
Nick