Beneteau 473 Rudder Bearing Replacement

[Liam D]

Hi All,
I purchased a 2002 Beneteau 473 two years ago. I noticed when I bought the boat that there was some play on the rudder stock but not significant. That said, I have been experiencing some vibration from the rudder, in particular on certain points of sailing, the vibration can be quite noticeable.
I am planning strip-down, check and replace the rudder bearings next spring.
I would really appreciate if anyone has some advice for me in advance of staring this work.
• Availability of spare parts
• Procedure for the strip-down / replacement
• Common problems
Look forward to any comments
Thanks
Liam

[TheOffice]

Have you contacted Beneteau?

[nigel1]

Beneteau dealers are quite helpful (they were with me).
Likely problem is the sleeve at the bottom of the rudder stock has come unstuck. This is a known fault on at least the B473's.
I fixed this a couple of years ago.
Have a attached a document from Beneteau which might help

[Liam D]

Originally Posted by TheOffice

Have you contacted Beneteau?

Hi Office
Yes - I have sent on a similar mail to Beneteau.

Thanks
Liam D
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...lies/smile.gif

[Liam D]

Hi Nigel
Thank you for the advice and the procedure.
Cant wait to get stuck in to the work in March.
Cheers
Liam
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...lies/smile.gif

[nigel1]

Originally Posted by Liam D

Hi Office
Yes - I have sent on a similar mail to Beneteau.

Thanks
Liam D
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...lies/smile.gif

Dickies at Bangor (North Wales), and Fox's Yachts at Ipswich have always been good with information and advise.

[sepeteus]

I have replaced both bearings, top and bottom on 47.7 First. Very simple system and easy to do. I had no help refitting the rudder but I had stand/lift in use which made it easy. What pissed me off was the price of new bearings from Beneteau! Day light robbery!

[Liam D]

Thanks Sepeteus.
Now that I am sitting down - how much did you pay for the bearings?

[sepeteus]

Now when I think about it...... It was my current yacht I replaced both, top and bottom bearing, Nautor Swan. On the Bene 47.7 First, I replaced only the bottom and there was no need to do anything about the top one. When Vicsail Sydney sold me The 47.7 First they said stiff steering was lack of use!!!! Turned out that the previous job was botched and bearing damaged so I demanded the new bottom bearing on cost. It was AUD1900 and when you hold it on your hand there is not much to it. I was told retail is AUD4000 ��
Cheers

[GarthGregory]

Hi Liam I bought my 473 new in 2006 , it always had a rudder vibration , when beginning to surf down wind at 9/ 10 knots and above - never on any other point of sail .I checked through a Sunsail fleet of 473 and like mine all had some free play on the rudder blade . The Sunsail technical people said it was normal . My boat now nearly 10 years old and the rudder remains exactly the same .I think the 473 is a great boat , fast and with lots of space . Caught in a storm off Italy in 60 + knots of wind , with a full main up ( stuck ) without any damage except my nerves . Was knocked flat ( full sails up ) , beyond 90 degrees in katabatik winds in Croatia . Yacht righted almost instantly ,no damage at all , dried up a bit sea water and continued on my way .I think they are great boats and very good value , I don't see the value in yachts of a similar size at 4 x the price . I have developed a prop shaft vibration and is now weeping , anyone out there who has fixed the problem on a 473 , I would appreciate any input ? Good luck Garth and a merry Christmas to all

[nigel1]

The reason for the rudder free play being normal, is that it is a common problem on these boats, the bronze bush comes away from the rudder stock.
It's an easy fix, and normally only requires the bush to be re-fixed on the shaft.

Prop shaft vibration, when was the last time you replaced the cutless bearing?, was there any play in the shaft at the cutless bearing at last haul out.
What sort of shaft seal do you have?

[GarthGregory]

Hi Nigel , I will drop the rudder to check the bush as you suggest ( per the drawing ) . The rudder / shaft and tube mounting is the one area on the 473 that looks under engineered to me . I also have a chip on the lower edge of the blade that needs to be repaired before next season .
The cutlass bearing has never been replaced and there is definitely some play on the propshaft as it exits the hull , it looks like a Teflon type bush ?. The Gland is a water lubricated type . The engine has just about 3000 hrs at present . I try to not exceed 2200 rpm - Yanmar 75hp / ZF g/box .
Any tips or advice would be great .
Regards Garth

[Terra Nova]

On a French-built Beneteau First 435 we replaced the entire bearing system using custom made Edson roller bearings. Material costs were considerably less than those that have been mentioned here, but this was ~ 10 years ago. And this was not a bolt-in installation, which required the fabrication of a simple boring jig and re-glassing the lower bearing mount. End play was controlled using custom made thrust washers of filled/reinforced bearing plastic. This work was done while the rudder was being rebuilt.

The owner was ecstatic over the improvement in helm feel and lightness, and has never experienced any vibrations.

[nigel1]

The cutlass bearing on my 473 is rubber. Held in place with two nylon screws.
Remove prop, remove the screws, and the cutlass bearing can be prized out with a screwdriver.
Fitting new one is easy, remember to tape over end of prop shaft before sliding on new bearing, the tape will help prevent damage to the bearing as it goes over the threads on end of shaft

Sent from my SM-T555 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[donradcliffe]

If you are getting vibration when surfing, check the trailing edge of the rudder. If its more than 1/8" thick, take a grinder to it and it will stop shedding vortices.