Rudder bearing play

[adib]

Hey guys,

I'm on a bavaria 49,2003, when i observe the top of the rudder where it goes through the top rudder bearing I have noticed a very slight play. When measured the play is about 1mm or less. Would you think that would cause concern for having the bearing changed . Rudder is smooth and works fine , was just wondering about the tolerance of the play . Any suggestions ?

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by adib

Hey guys,

I'm on a bavaria 49,2003, when i observe the top of the rudder where it goes through the top rudder bearing I have noticed a very slight play. When measured the play is about 1mm or less. Would you think that would cause concern for having the bearing changed . Rudder is smooth and works fine , was just wondering about the tolerance of the play . Any suggestions ?

There should not be any visible play at all. In my experience once the play is noticeable it accelerates pretty quickly, probably from stuff getting in and causing wear. And that can contribute to wear on other steering gear components.

You need to evaluate the consequences of the looseness yourself to determine when you should replace. Personally I would address it as soon as reasonably possible. It's not a big job; the hardest part is usually getting the collar off the rudder post.

[robert sailor]

When the bottom bearing has too much play it starts to wear the top bearing. There should not be play in these bearings.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

When the bottom bearing has too much play it starts to wear the top bearing. There should not be play in these bearings.

Originally Posted by Suijin

There should not be any visible play at all. In my experience once the play is noticeable it accelerates pretty quickly, probably from stuff getting in and causing wear. And that can contribute to wear on other steering gear components...

Indeed.
Any discernible play is undesirable.

[rognvald]

In a perfect world, there should be no discernible play in your rudder. However, a 1 mm play in your rudder would not be a concern for me. You have a big boat and a very heavy rudder. Expecting perfection may be a goal but perhaps, not a reality. Is the boat on the hard or in the water? If on the hard, 1 mm may be so small that once it is immersed in water(swelling of the nylon bearings and rudder tube) it may be imperceptible. Keep a watch on it and if the movement becomes greater, replace the bearings. Good luck and safe sailing.

[psk125]

We had an issue with play in our top rudder bearing too. We found a thin sheet of high-density plastic - maybe 3"x 8" -that we were able to slide around the top of the shaft so that it was re-centered and had no space to to shift into. Fix has worked for two years so far.