Rudder repair question? Thanks to some Bozo in a powerboat

[Dulcesuenos]

I cant go into full details due to hoping his ins co does the right thing. If not ill be taking him to court. But end result was we were forced out of a channel by a boat and this plus his wake caused our port rudder to impact Rocks bending the rudder shaft. The shaft is bent starting about 4" above the rudder and continues slightly more. The shaft is 1.5" hollow stainless tube. Can this be straightened or will the heat or forces damage it worse? Ruddercraft is almost 1k for a new one Fossfoam havent heard back yet. The killer was we just had her painted and prettied up for our two week trip...

[Anonymous7500]

Do you have exact dimensions for the part? I looked up 316 seamless tubing and 1.5" OD with .25" wall thickness is $200 for 3' and $275 for 5'. Depending on the required machining, producing the part could be quick and end up cheaper than $1,000. But, to produce it this way requires a very precise drawing.

Oh yeah, I would only straighten the shaft as a temporary repair. It may last forever or there could be fracturing leading to failure much sooner.