Stiff Stearing

[Leighton]

I have a rudder arrangement which is a SS stock inside a SS sleave directly coupled to a wheel through solid linkages. There are no bearings as shuch. The stock is prevented falling thro the sleave by a collar.

When I set off sailing the steering is free and easy but as time progresses, approximately 4-5 hours the steering gets progressively tighter.

Has anyone any experince of this and can offer a solution? I can only think that the two surfaces are binding in some way that only occurs after aperiod of time.

[Alan Wheeler]

I would suggest that is exactly what is happening. The tolerance is such, that as the water gets colder, it is shrinking and binding. Try getting a light gear chain lube down it. CRC products have one called Tac2. Wynns has an excellent highly recommended product called Viscotene. They start as a penatrant and will work down into the joint. Then the solvent evaporates and the residue is the most slippery tenacouse stuff you will find. It has excellent water repellant properties and extrememly high EP strength properties.
The only other answer is a bearing material. You would need to remove the outer SST sleave and have it machined out and have a plastic material inserted. DO NOT use bronze inside the SST environment.

[svHyLyte]

The next time you haul out, consider dropping the rudder part way down the tube and then drilling a small hole near the top of the outer tube and threading it to take a grease plug. If the tube is too thin to allow the plug to be fitted, a welder can braze on a small piece of tubing that itself can be threaded for the grease plug. After restoring the rudder shaft to its normal position, a few pumps from a grease gun from time to time will lubricate the tube and shaft nicely. In the event that the top of the tube is below the water-line and the top fitting is, in fact, a packing gland, rather than inserting the grease fitting in the tube, use a pressure fitting attached to a short length of flex tubing that can be taken higher than the water line and have a grease fitting attached to it. Again, a few good pumps for time to time should remediate the situation nicely.

Cheers,

s/v HyLyte

As a PS, you may have some rust build-up between the tube and the shaft the a good burnishing with emory cloth will relieve.

[Talbot]

Is it possible that the bearing faces are nylon rather than delrin, possibly one is above the water level and dries out, then when you go to sea again, the nylon takes up some moisture and binds (where as the delrin would not.)

[Alan Wheeler]

Talbot, Leightons problem is it's Stainless Steel inside SST. No bearing material at all. There are only two products that can safely be used as a lubricant in a situation like that. Lanocote and Nickel based grease. But I think his issue is due to shrinkage and thus gauling of the two dry surfaces. I don't think there is an easy answer than to remove the shaft, have it machined a wisker and fit a Delrin bearing.

[Talbot]

Couldnt believe that a builder had actually made a direct metal to metal contact here without some form of bearing material, so assumed it was a typo. The forces acting on a monos rudder are so high that it doesnt seem credible that this was delberately made like this!

[Alan Wheeler]

Yes your correct Talbot.
Leighton, can you comfirm, just in case, that we are reading that there is NO bearing material in this set up. That it is or is not bare SST to bare SST??

[Leighton]

I must say that you've got me wondering now?
I havn't stripped down the assembly but from what I can see it is just ss on ss.

[swagman]

Hi Leighton,
What's the orginal name of your boat - and was it built in Perth - and by who?
I like the others find it difficult to believe the stock set up has no bearings.
Cheers
JOHN