[jfdubu]

Jason,

Wow what a coinsidence. I'm pulling the rudder on my J28 tomorrow for the very same reason. I have hull #11 and sail in narragansett bay. I also have quite a bit of experiance making parts out of delron, it's very good stuff.

I'll keep up with you and let you know what I'm doing.

John

[email protected]

 

[jfdubu]

Well Jason, I wasn't as lucky as you. After removing the first two bolt of the quadrent I thought I was fat, dum and happy. The second two turned me in just fat and dum.
So far I've turned the two hex bolts into round bolts with an impact gun, I've cut the heads off with my dremal and tried screw drivers and wedges and it will not split on one side. I'll be cutting it off tonight.

I can tell you I don't have setscrews or zerk fitting in either the top or bottm bearings

John

 

[jfdubu]

Hi Jason,

Well I did finally get the damn rudder out of the boat. I had to cut two of the bolts out of the quadrent and I still have got one of the bolts out of the holes.

Any way it's out. I havn't taken any pictures as my daughter took the camera to college with her. But with the execption of the color (mines red) it looks identical to yours. I have the same discolored areas and the same delron bearing. I havn't decided if I'm going to take the bearing out. Mine looks like it's glassed in and may just stay that way. I was surprised at how heavy the rudder is. I'm guessing 100+ lbs, is yours that heavy?

When your's came out did it slide out of the top sleeve or did you have to fight it like it did.

BTW, no grease fittings anywhere on my bearings.

Nice new J28 site hey?

John

 

[jfdubu]

Jason,

I would not recommend the graphite build-up. Unless you hone the delrin out enough get a full layer of graphie 1/8" or better it won't last and you'll be lucky to get the stuff to bond with the delrin anyway. And, honeing this build up and keeping it in line with the top bearing would be nearly impossible. I'm going to be looking again and searching in my little bag of tricks but I'm betting there is no easy way to tighten up this bearing. But, I'm considering replaceing the wick packing with a 25% glass filled teflon sleeve and using the packing clamp to take some of the slop out and seal the water out at the same time. Not only would this work but it would be easy to replace, sort of.

Paul L, So far I drilled 4 holes to drain any water out. Not more than a few ounces.

 

[jfdubu]

Jason,

In getting the rudder out I had to remove the bolt that went thru the rudder stock and sleeve and slide to sleeve off the stock about an inch to get the bolt at the top (travel limit) out. The sleeve might have been bonded to the sleeve but it isn't any more and there will be two stock to sleeve bolts when it goes back together.

 

[jfdubu]

...which is why I am leaning towards a real roller bearing....maybe.

Jason, You couldn't give me a roller bearing to replace the delrin. If you're going thru the effort of getting the old one out, don't mess up the OD of the housing and put a new delrin back in.

Unless you redesign the housing for a roller to keep the water out the roller will last a fraction of what the delrin would last, at three times the cost.

And the roller will have a fraction of the load carrying ability as the delrin.

Yes, I am an engineer and know a bit about bearings.

John