[C320-list] Steering "clunk"

[Kaare Wold]

Thanks so much for the information.  My mechanical engineering sense would 
suggest a bearing of some kind supports a rotating metal shaft on each end. 
Lessons learned.  Sort of surprised that this critical component simply 
rattles around in a plastic tube.   I will try the milk bottle shim 
technique you suggested.  Very clever!  Our slip is in very still water, so 
the wheel lock is not used.  However, I am unable to speak for the two 
previous owners and that may have contributed to the enlarged tolerances. 
Thank you for your help!
Kaare Wold


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <clburti at gmail.com>
To: "320" <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
Sent: Friday, August 16, 2013 6:27 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Steering "clunk"


> There is no bearing. Your boat isn’t really old enough to be that worn 
> unless you leave your wheel brake loose and the tide/wave/wake action at 
> your slip causes your rudder to constantly move back and forth in 
> response. There is a nut and bolt (4” x 5/8”?) going through the top of 
> the rudder to hold it in place. If the nut is loose or missing, the post 
> might make noise.
>
>
> Elliptical wear of the rudder tube and post was a common problem for those 
> of us that had 30+ year old boats built in the 1970’s with tillers. The 
> best solution short of a rebuild was to cut strips from plastic milk 
> bottles and slip them down the tube until the shaft was shimmed 
> sufficiently to stop ‘clunking’. The PE plastic is slick and self 
> lubricating and when it wears down, you just add more.
>
>
> Do not let some idiot talk you into pouring epoxy down the tube to 
> ‘rebuild’ it. The concept was to make a dam around the rudder post near 
> the top with waxed line or tape, wax the post with mold release wax so 
> that the epoxy wouldn’t bond to the post, re-insert the rudder into the 
> tube and pour epoxy into the top of the tube so that when it cures it 
> creates a bushing. While it sounds logical, the shafts wear elliptically, 
> not evenly round as you might suppose. Thus, when the epoxy cures, the egg 
> shaped cross section of the rudder shaft becomes almost impossible to turn 
> even though it isn’t bonded to the epoxy bushing.
>
>
>
> Fair Winds
> Chris Burti
> Commitment
> Catalina 320, #867
>
>
>
> From: Kaare Wold
> Sent: ‎Friday‎, ‎August‎ ‎16‎, ‎2013 ‎12‎:‎39‎ ‎AM
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
>
> Skippers,  This is our first season with our C320.  2003 #945.  We are
> experiencing a noticible "clunking" noise when moving the wheel from left 
> to
> right or visa versa.   Inspecting the steering cables, sheave on the 
> rudder
> post did not show any abnormal condition.  Further troubleshooting had us
> remove the emergency tiller access plate that clearly revealed the 
> problem.
> The metal rudder shaft appears to have excessive play at the top that
> results in the shaft striking the rudder tube when the steering wheel
> direction is changed.  Surprisingly, there does not appear to be any sort 
> of
> bearing (or maybe mine is totally worn out) at the top of the shaft.  I 
> may
> add that this clunking noise is not noticible if steering gently or 
> slowly.
> However, a rapid change in wheel direction results in this noise.
> Has anybody else experienced this noise and have any suggestions for a
> remedy.  Thanks for your comments.
> Kaare Wold   Sheet Music, #945