Bottom rudder bearing-does anyone need one?

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Bottom rudder bearing-does anyone need one?

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Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 23/11/2011 : 15:05:46
My bottom rudder bearing is very sloppy and needs replacing. I am thinking of ordering some Tufnol Whale rod, 45mm OD, and getting it machined down.

It comes in 300mm lengths, so you can get 4 60mm bearings out of a rod (allowing for cutting wastage). Does anyone else want to club together to get a piece? A 300mm length is about £40, so with postage it will be around the £10 mark for a blank, ready to be machined.

http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/TufnolRod/45mm/

Let me know by replying below. Disclaimer...this would appear to be the best material for the bearing for my fin keeled boat...it's up to you to check suitability/size for your own boat!
keith
United Kingdom
118 Posts

Posted - 24/11/2011 : 18:34:40
I did this job on my boat earlier this summer also with tufnol, Dont make the bearing too tight as it will swell slightly in the water, guess what i have to take the heel fitting off & ease the bearing a bit!

NPMR
United Kingdom
59 Posts

Posted - 26/11/2011 : 11:51:41
Darn it! I had a new bearing turned just last week!

As we have a bent shaft, it wears the bearing fast and so the last one only managed 8 years before giving up.

It is a "nylon" material (says the invoice - same as last time), the cost was £4.17 for materials but the turning was 3 hours at £24/hr! Plus VAT = £91.40 total! Last time was about £50 maximum. I'm too depressed to get the bill and check.

Nigel Ross
HUZZAH

Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 27/11/2011 : 08:01:56
Hmmm... I might be wrong on this Nigel but I thought Nylon is not quite suitable as it swells slightly in seawater?

sabre27
178 Posts

Posted - 27/11/2011 : 17:04:26
The correct ‘plastic’, other than Tufnol, to use for this underwater bearing application is an ‘Acetal’. Any competent pro Marine Engineer will know this and will use it.

To understand its properties visit this site:
http://www.dynalabcorp.com/technical_info_acetal.asp

Paul Howard. S27OA Technical Officer.

£91.40 !!!???

NPMR
United Kingdom
59 Posts

Posted - 28/11/2011 : 14:41:22
The invoice has "Nylon" on ity but it is an oil impregnated hard material the same as was used last time. The wording on the invoice is just sloppy office-work, but I will double check before committing to the launching!

Nigel Ross
HUZZAH

Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 01/12/2011 : 10:50:27
Paul

Thanks for the steer on Acetal...cheaper and better then Tufnol, and in black it even matches my antifouling!

I will certainly have some spare if anyone needs any...

Sunfly
United Kingdom
51 Posts

Posted - 19/12/2011 : 21:37:04 Sunfly's Homepage Edit Reply Reply with Quote View user's IP address Delete Reply
A couple of years ago I got a friendly local precision engineer to turn me one up. He didn't have right stuff in stock so I got a bit of bronze 'tube' from local stockist for I think about £15, the work was about £20, (cash in hand of course!) plus a few ales. That included pressing out the old bearing from shoe and pressing in new one.

Either I got a complete bargain or some people are getting taken for a ride!

Nothing - absolute nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats

http://sunflythesabre.wordpress.com

NPMR
United Kingdom
59 Posts

Posted - 22/12/2011 : 17:31:18
quote:
Originally posted by Sunfly

Either I got a complete bargain or some people are getting taken for a ride!


I think I have to accept that I've been overcharged! The yard I've used for the last 20 years or so, has been fine, but they have just acquired new owners ......????

davea
United Kingdom
18 Posts

Posted - 23/12/2011 : 07:35:08
I'm thinking about doing mine while the boat is out of the water, is the heel just bolted on?

NPMR
United Kingdom
59 Posts

Posted - 24/12/2011 : 23:35:02
Hi Dave

On the fin keeler it is just 3 bolts in the bottom of the heel and you unscrew them. That's the easy bit (they might have a retaining wire in them to stop them coming undone, so just snip it and away you go).

The next drama is to get the heel off.

I have found that the best method is to;

1) heat it with a blow lamp so it softens any mastic etc and then

2) Get a very thin sheet of metal (I used a wallpaper stripper) and hammer it gently down between the GRP of the skeg and the bronze shoe and when you feel you've loosened it all off, get a piece of wood and put it against the bronze shoe and hit it, quite hard with a heavy hammer! When you see it is moving, hit it some more but less and less hard.

After a bit you'll know it's coming loose. Especially when it drops on the ground!

Simples

Nigel Ross
HUZZAH

Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 08/02/2012 : 14:54:22
Just got my acetal one back. Perfect fit on shaft and heel, £26.

dave
United Kingdom
67 Posts

Posted - 21/11/2015 : 16:34:13 Show Profile Email Poster Edit Reply Send dave an AOL message Reply with Quote View user's IP address Delete Reply
i took my old wornout bearing to b e r bearings and got a metal one of the shelf for six quid how about that??

Mikenfi
United Kingdom
40 Posts

Posted - 08/12/2015 : 17:16:24
We had one made from Teflon in France. It's pretty tough stuff.

Cost us a bottle of British cider. The guy was a brewer himself in Normandy so I think it was a nice change!!!
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