New Owner, 1980, Mark V, Irwin, CC with ?'s

[cacruzn]

Hi All,

I recently purchased the above mentioned boat and am searching for information regarding how to replace the bushing on the rudder shaft. There seems to be excessive play in the rudder and what appears to be a small block near the bushing that may be worn out. Has anyone out there had experience with this project? Where can I obtain this bushing and the other pieces surrounding it? Will I need to remove the rudder to replace this bushing(it seems to be a split bushing)? What is this bushing made from?

Also, I need to replace the cutlass bearing; does the rudder need to be off for this job or does one just remove the prop, loosen the coupling, and back the shaft out?

Any help will be appreciated

Cacruzn

[cacruzn]

Hi All,

I am answering my own question for the benefit of others. My shaft was removed by removing the prop, loosening the coupling, and pulling the shaft past the rudder. The yard then removed and replaced the cutlass bearing. I am having the shaft and prop inspected (after cleaning up) by a local prop shop.

With respect to the play in the rudder due to sloppy rudder bushing, I am doing the following:
1) align the split bushing so half is fore and half is aft of the rudder post,
2) wedge the small block that is aft of the skeg and in front of the bushing by pushing a small shim in the space; do this above and below the small block and on both port and starboard sides to insure even distribution of pressure on the block,
3) test the rudder for stability,
4) if the rudder is stable (it was in my case), epoxy the shims in place.

I will post some pictures later to illustrate the steps taken/described above.

cacruzn

[PBzeer]

You shouldn't have needed to remove the shaft to replace the cutless bearing, as most yards have a hydraulic tool to push the bearing out of the strut and off the shaft. Also, don't forget to check the shaft alignment, once the boat has been back in the water for 24 hours.

[cacruzn]

John,

On an Irwin 37 there is no strut housing the cutlass bearing. The bearing is in the aft end of the hull/skeg.

Should a yard still be able to remove the cutlass bearing without removing the shaft? I don't see how it's possible.

cacruzn