Rudder questions

[JeremyFowler]

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1&d=1618364115

Can anyone enlighten this ignoramus on how this rudder shaft is removed? It seems to be made to NOT disassemble... (I hope the photo is attached...)
Also, there is not enough space behind the propeller (and the rudder shaft/pintle) to remove the propeller. What is standard practice to remove the prop?
Also, I'd like to attach a bit of fairing to the rudder shaft to catch more of the prop wash, to increase the steerage at low speed under power. Any thoughts on this?
Cheers!

[sv.antea]

The heel bearing probably comes appart. Then you may have to lift the boat up, most likely have a travel lift take it over the slip to drop the rudder if the rudder stock is long.

[tkeithlu]

Sv.antea is sending you in the right direction. Under that plate or anode at the base of the rudder you are going to find a way to disassemble the bottom bearing. My bet is that after you remove the quadrant and any other item clamped to the top of the shaft the rudder will drop far enough to clear the bottom of the hull. You might have to dig a hole to help.

Is that prop as bent as it appears in the photograph? If so, Wow!

Adding fairing? I've got reservations about that. There's not much space already, and there is such a thing as getting too close to a prop and setting up vibrations that you do not want. Is the current low-speed steering really bad, justifying experimenting with it? If so, realize that you may be in for a sequence of alteration, splash, test, haul, new alteration, splash, etc. That could run up the cost in a hurry.

[JeremyFowler]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to polish up the metal there to positively say that the bottom bearing cannot disassemble, but it certainly doesn't look like it on close inspection now. I suspect that the shaft has to come right out the top before the rudder can be removed. I see a pin through the lower gudgeon into the shaft. Maybe it has to be drilled out first...
I'm hoping to bump into someone who has done it on this model.
Cheers

[tkeithlu]

Anything to report?

Three points to consider. First, there are only so many ways to put something together. The way the builder attached your rudder is going to be one of very few, and one that was convenient to him/her. Second, if your rudder shaft comes out the top rather than the bottom, it will have an easy route for doing so, and it will be the first such rudder post I've ever heard of. It could be true, but "everybody drops them out the bottom"" will still be a valid comment. Finally, there have been a number of posts over the last few years from people who have had a tough time finding the bolts that attach the bottom shoe to the keel. Sometimes, they are even under fiberglass.

If you've got a pin through the rudder shaft, I do not recommend drilling it out. That could damage the shaft, and they ain't cheap. Tap it out with a pin punch.

Do tell us what you find. You might, indeed, have the first lift-out rudder shaft discussed on the forum.