Rudder bush or bearing - Rush 31 (tiller steered)

[hambleroddy]

On my last cross-Channel trip I have noticed the tiller is moving in an oval motion when healing.  It appears that the 40 year old bushing is knackered.




when I look at the underside, there appears to be little in the way of structure holding the rudder shaft to the transom?  The 7mm fibre glass appears to be doing all the work?


Underside of bush

Where can one find a replacement bush, replace like-for-like?

should I be considering building a GRP reinforcement plate under the transom to receive a new Jefra  solution like this one below?


J'effrauai bearing

[rene460]

Hi Hambleroddy,

It doesn’t look like anyone on the forum has replaced these bearings to provide some first hand experience for you, though if you search the forum for rudder bearings (or something similar) you will find some posts for similar issues on other models.  I would put it in the class of normal (though infrequently required) maintenance.

Personally, I would not be too worried about the fibreglass taking the loads in the absence of any sign of cracking of the fibreglass around the bearing.  The bearing loads are mostly horizontal and the fibreglass planes are very strong for that direction.  The vertical load is mainly due to the weight of the rudder which is generally low when the boat is in the water due to buoyancy of the rudder.  However the full weight does have to be supported when on the hard stand.

I assume that the second picture is the underside of the deck, and that the point where the tube goes through the bottom of the hull has an upstand extending well above the water line so that you are not depending on the lower bearing to keep water out.  And probably includes the thrust washers top and bottom for vertical movement limits.

The replacement you have suggested seems appropriate for the side loads at the deck level, probably an upgrade from the original plain bearing.

I hope that helps support you in your consideration of the next steps.

rene460

PS thank you Malcolm for inserting the pictures.

[MalcolmP]

Jun 26, 2022 10:18:33 GMT rene460 said:

PS thank you Malcolm for inserting the pictures.

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