[twomikes]

I am attempting to remove the wheel from my Cinkel pedestal so I can refinish it over the winter months, but not having much success. I've removed the big nut on the wheel side, but not sure if there is anything else I have to remove to get the wheel off. If it is like other parts on this boat, it is also held on with corrosion and other gunk.
Any suggestions on how to get the wheel off? Thx.

 

[Faster]

Odds are there's a key piece in there, it should slide straight back. Never seen that (nylon?) hub before.

Couple of things you could try.. put the nut on loose (with some play between it and the wheel.. have someone apply some 'aft' pressure and sharply smack the nut with a heavy-ish hammer (could put a block of wood in the way to protect the chrome on the nut) The wheel might 'pop' off...

Fashion a couple of flat wood wedges that will fill the gap between the binnacle and the hub, tap them in top and bottom to try to push the wheel back. I think it's just a matter of gentle pursuasion and patience...

All the above assuming you can't find a proper wheel/gear puller somewhere...

 

[PaulinVictoria]

If it's the same as mine, which I think is a Cinkel, then it's just a friction fit (1" straight shaft with a 1/4" keyway) and just held on with corrosion. I would see if you can borrow a puller, just make sure to protect the shaft whilst you are screwing. Which is good advice for more than one situation as it turns out.

 

[Delta-T]

With the puller on and tight, give the end of the threaded puller shaft a short sharp shot with a small 5 lb sledge. Metal on metal and shock it to break the corrosion free. Don't beat on it...And or, your steering shaft looks long enough and if there are no plastic parts to damage, you can try to heat and cool it several times. This also is known to break the corrosion free. You can also try that with the puller on and tight. And try cooling with cold water after heating.

And or, soak with 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone as penetrating oil.

 

[twomikes]

Success!
I used the wood wedge technique and after a bit of work managed to get the wheel off.

One of the joints on the wood is starting to separate so I am thinking of squeezing in some gorilla glue and clamping it tight. Then I plan on stripping the wood, sanding it then apply a finish. Any suggestions on a suitable finish to apply to the wood?

 

[Delta-T]

Here is one thread on finishing http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/112753-thinking-about-dipping-my-boat.html

I'm sure there are more. And if you look in "low budget projects" thread, the last post has some good info too.