Rudder Bushing

I am repacking the rudder, and I'm still a bit confused as to the purpose of the bushing in the picture. I found it inside the packing gland between one piece of rope packing and the threaded portion. I was told that it belongs on top of the gland, but I don't understand why. In the picture, I've got (3) pcs of 1/4" rope packing installed in the gland, and it seems to fit better than the 3/16". Is 1/4" correct?? It seems that the rope packing is what governs the rudder's height, not the bushing. So, do I need it? If so, should I remove one of the pieces of 1/4" packing in order to get it to fit correctly?

Pete:

No, the rudder blade is pretty much tight up against the hull. How much clearance do I need (how much of the shaft should be left sticking below the hull - 1/2" or more??)? The 1/4" packing seem to fit well, but I may need to take one out depending on what your response is.

Thanks!

When you say measure, what are you referring to? I wrapped the 3/16" packing around the rudder shaft and cut it, but when I installed it in the gland, it was short. The 1/4" fit perfect.

Robb,
I wouldn't worry about the hand hard turning at the rudder. Check how it works when hooked up to the cable and helm. Unlike the prop shaft packing that's constantly subjected to the rotation, the rudder can be pretty tight. I'd leave the 1/4" in there until you get it back in the water.

A convenient way of measuring the for the correct size packing is to see if ether a 3/16" or 1/4" drill bit fits down between the shaft and packing gland.

Robb,
The less than 1/2" is pretty close in my mind but if you do want to get it closer, bronze thrust washers work better. They are the common method of shimming out the extra shaft length.



They are typically 1/8" thick and you would get the 1" ID. A decent hardware store should have them in their assortment of bronze bushings.

Tim,
I checked too and it really surprises me that McMaster doesn't have the 1&1/8" as that is a common shaft size. They do however list a brass plain flat washer for a 1&1/8" bolt but they are thin and the cost is high. An alternate is to go to a bearing supply. They would have tons of "Oil-lite" bushings/thrust washers!!

We are however using them simply as a spacer and this is not a precision application. The 1&1/4" would work fine on a 1&1/8" shaft!!

Robb wrote: I'm looking for no rudder packing leakage - correct?

Yes

Robb wrote: I think the spacer I have is close to 1 inch tall, but it was inside the gland with one piece of rope packing.

None of us have seen this before! It's sure not the normal set up.

Karen you are starting to annoy me.

IP Address 212.104.212.16

Please type in dos command line:-

ping 212.104.212.16 /l 2048 /n 50