Name of spare and where to buy one

[YesIsail]

Hello to all sailors, I am worried about this part on the rudder of a Beneteau 50. I would need some advice on the name of the part (the rusted one) where the hydraulic attaches to, and if possible where to find it online.

Thanx!

[motion30]

That is a spiracle rod end. most hydraulic shops could Supply one or you can order one in stainless from Carr McMaster

[Suijin]

I'd be just as concerned with addressing how it got that way as with replacing it. Looks like you should drop the rudder (which you'll have to do anyway to replace it) and repack.

The spiracle rod end is just the part attached to the ram. While the tiller arm (not sure if that's the correct name, but it's what I call it) is probably serviceable, if you're going to drop the rudder you might as well replace it. For the specific part I would send the picture to a Beneteau dealer and have them identify it. Try Annapolis Yacht Sales in Annapolis. They have a large repair facility at their location.

[boatpoker]

I thought he was talking about his tiller arm ?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by motion30

That is a spiracle rod end. most hydraulic shops could Supply one or you can order one in stainless from Carr McMaster

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spiracle
ˈspʌɪrək(ə)l/Submit
nounZOOLOGY
an external respiratory opening, especially each of a number of pores on the body of an insect, or each of a pair of vestigial gill slits behind the eye of a cartilaginous fish.

[GordMay]

Another helpful discussion ➥ Beneteau 49 - Rudder Tiller (Part 082184) Rust - How big a problem? | SailboatOwners.com Forums

[UNCIVILIZED]

If you're referring to the part which encircles the rudder shaft that the autopilot ram is connected to, that's a tiller arm.
If you mean the piece on the end of the autopilot ram, that's a fork terminal.

[dfelsent]

It is a spherical rod end that is at the end of the autopilot cylinder rod. The rod end is attached to the tiller arm with a bolt. There is a hitch pin that keeps the rod end on the tiller bolt.

The drag link is the small part that goes to the rudder position sensor. It has a black ball link socket attached to the smaller rod.

[bsurvey]

the clevis pin is not good stainless if it rusted like that it holds the tiller are to the auto pilot go to a marine chandlery and as for a 316 SS pin.


the pin is put in upside down if you loose the quick release cotter pin the clevis pin will just fall out

[Cheechako]

I assume you are talking of the rudder arm? Not the type of thing most would have in spares. Clean it up good, the rust surrounding it may just be from the arm. Once clean, you can paint it or just spray it with CRC 5-56 which will protect it. I don't see any heavy rust from what I can tell.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

I thought he was talking about his tiller arm ?

I thought so also. If he was, it appears to just be rusty with plenty of usable life.

[jimbunyard]

The tiller arm (that which the rudder shaft goes through) is fine. The rod end (which connects the actuating cylinder to the tiller arm) may or may not be OK, you have to take everything apart and inspect it. Can't tell for sure from the picture, but it looks like it may be a solid female rod end, not spherical, though either would work in this case. A stainless spherical one would probably be easier to find than a stainless solid one, providing you can find one thin enough for the stud it mounts on. If in fact the stud is actually a clevis pin, then of course you can just get a longer clevis pin.

Likely all you need to do is dis-assemble everything, clean it, grease and reassemble it. If you need a new rod end, spherical or plain, probably the best source is a industrial supply house or specialty type auto parts store.

Female Rod Ends, Solid




Would also check into if there was a leak or something contributing to the corrosion, especially the white powder under the tiller arm, which looks like aluminum corrosion, but more likely it's just from condensation that forms on the metal parts due to temperature changes in a humid atmosphere...again, just clean it up, grease it, and spray some kind of rust preventative on it if you feel like it.

[Chuck Hawley]

Uh, I agree with the other comments, but I have two new concerns:

1. It's not obvious to me how the tiller arm comes off the shaft. I would assume it would be split, and clamp onto the rudder shaft with a pin to stop rotation. I see the pin, but not the split.

2. It appears to be what I think is called a single clevis. That means that the eye on the end of the autopilot shaft is not a fork, and so there is a twisting moment every time the autopilot pushes or pulls. Ideally, you'd use a double clevis. Those may not be the exact right terms, but in a wonderful book about cars, called Carroll Smith's Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook, the author writes at length about the benefit of having a clevis pin go through a fork instead of an eye so that the pin doesn't wobble when force is applied. Sorry that I don't have a better description. In any case, wobble leads to wear and failure.

Chuck Hawley

[jimbunyard]

Originally Posted by Chuck Hawley

Uh, I agree with the other comments, but I have two new concerns:

1. It's not obvious to me how the tiller arm comes off the shaft. I would assume it would be split, and clamp onto the rudder shaft with a pin to stop rotation. I see the pin, but not the split.

2. It appears to be what I think is called a single clevis. That means that the eye on the end of the autopilot shaft is not a fork, and so there is a twisting moment every time the autopilot pushes or pulls. Ideally, you'd use a double clevis. Those may not be the exact right terms, but in a wonderful book about cars, called Carroll Smith's Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook, the author writes at length about the benefit of having a clevis pin go through a fork instead of an eye so that the pin doesn't wobble when force is applied. Sorry that I don't have a better description. In any case, wobble leads to wear and failure.

Chuck Hawley

Usually it's called a 'rod clevis fork' or something like that, and it is better in most ways than the single sided setup, mainly because of the unbalanced force that the single sided setup induces, causing increased steering effort requirements on the cylinder and point and bending wear on the pin and arm. Unfortunately in this application several modifications appear to be necessary to implement it. The cylinder would have to be moved so the cylinder rod and the tiller arm were in alignment and it appears that the cylinder side rudder stop would have to be trimmed down. Also, it's likely that what the rod end mounts on now is a stud rather than a clevis pin and that too would have to be removed and possibly drilled to fit a standard pin.

Not to mention the pita in putting a retaining ring or clip on the clevis pin underneath the tiller arm...

I also noticed that what-looks-like-a-galvanized through pin holding the arm to the rudder shaft. If it can be easily knocked out I would replace that with a stainless bolt and a nylock nut, but that's just me...