rudder bearings

[John]

I am looking for information on the rudder bearing system for a Bavaria 36. My rudder has gotten very hard to turn and I have eliminated every other possible factor, however I cannot determine without removing the rudder, what the bearing configuration is like or how the bearings are installed. Any information would be very much appreciated.Thank you.John

[John Aubin]

Dear John:We have the same problem on our Ocean 42. Recently I picked up a thread from teh owner of a Bavaria 50. It turned out that his 50 was missing two teflon washers that are supposed to be between the top of the upper bearing and the large nut that holds up the rudder. Stuart, the service manager at the Bavaria east coast distributor in Annapolis, is trying to get an engineering detail from Germany for us. In the mean time the service folks at Bavaria suggested putting two delrin washers between the top bearing and the nut. You can reach Stuart at stuart@bavariayachts.com We are trying to source the washers and if found we will install them this spring. Look for a repair article on the Bavaria Yacht Owners Assn website http://www.byoa.org/Good Luck