Horizontal movement on rudders

[Stella Polaris]

Hello All,

We have just hauled out and checked the twin rudders on our Ovni 445 for horizontal and vertical play. They both have about 1 cm horizontal play when moved back and forth. The video here shows what happens when we move it:

https://youtu.be/MYYYIH2vxzc

We are hauled out in Tahiti and can't wait for new bearings and seals (if we need them) to be sent from France, unless absolutely necessary and were hoping someone had some input on what is too much movement. Will this be OK to sail with for the next 4 months, when we are hauling out again and can have parts sent to us (if necessary)?

I would be very grateful for any input and thoughts.

Best regards,

Andreas

[GordMay]

➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...lay-72375.html

[MikeFergie]

It's okay to sail like that because the wear is usually on the inside of the bushes not on the outside. But it's noisy to sleep if you are in the rear cabins and I know it's time to change mine when I hear that exact noise on your video the whole night.

[boatpoker]

The more it's worn the faster it wears.
Ye pays yer money an' takes yer chances.

[Stella Polaris]

I just spoke to Alubat about it after sending them pictures and more video and they told me not to worry about it, but to change the bearings the next time I haul out. Easy peasy.

Thanks for your input

- Andreas

[ccannan]

The seals don't have to be sourced from Alubat. However, you may have difficulty sourcing them in Tahiti. The bearings might be even more difficult to source. I think they are made of delrin, but probably could be machined out of UHMWPE.

[Stella Polaris]

Originally Posted by ccannan

The seals don't have to be sourced from Alubat. However, you may have difficulty sourcing them in Tahiti. The bearings might be even more difficult to source. I think they are made of delrin, but probably could be machined out of UHMWPE.

Hi Chip,

Thank you for your reply. I could definitely try to source seals and have bearings made, but I'll order everything from Alubat and have them waiting for me in a future port of call. Since there's no rush, I'll have plenty of time to get a hold of them.

Best regards,

Andreas