Rudder Seal

[sailing by]

I have 2001 Bav 40. It has a rubber boot on the rudder post - just above the lower bearing and below the quadrant. It acts as a seal over the lower bearing and the post and is held in place by three circular clips. I noticed that the metal flange set into the top of the boot has completely rusted away and as a result the top of the boot does not seal.Has anyone else had this problem? Anyone know where I can get a replacement boot. Does the rudder need to be dropped to fit the boot or can it be pushed down from the top if the top bearing is removed? Thanks.

[Nashira]

I think the "boot" you refer to is in fact industrial hose of an appropriate diameter to fit the flange and shaft. See if you can find a peice of similar diameter thick walled hose, it will do the trick as long as it is secured by hose clips. My Bav 40 Ocean had exactly that fitted to it. same year as yours.

[sailing by]

Thanks for the quick repsonse. I have not had an oppprtunity to take the boot off so I have one question you might be able to answer for me:-The boot fits over the bearing at the bottom and the rudder post at the top - but the bearing is of a larger diameter than the post (see diagram)....so I am presuming there is some kind of insert into the boot at the top to close the gap? Is that a seperate seal do you know?Anyway, thanks for your help so far.John

[GP]

Not quite sure as I have never had it apart. I will have a look next time I am on board, probably on Saturday, if the weather ever abats from present gale force winds. Do you have any problems with leaks in to the hull from the deck or toe rail area??

[sailing by]

I did have a leak on the port side - eventually traced it to chain-plate for the shrouds. It was unevenly tightened down - simply loosening the nuts and re-tightening them cured the problem (didn't even need to reseal the plate to the deck).

[Mike Hollingsworth]

John;Sorry about the late response, not sure if you still need it but... I had my rudder dropped when I replaced my bottom bearing this winter. The answer I found about that rudder seal was that you did need to remove the top bearing only and lower rudder post until it cleared the seal, or just far enough to slide the seal up over the top of the post. Either way, the boat should be on the hard, otherwise the rudder could end up on the ocean floor.No pictures of the change out. See my post about rudder bearing.Hope your repair was a good experience.Mike

[sailing by]

Mike, thanks for your reply. I have been waiting for Bavaria to get back to me - seems like I might have to wait a long time!I was wondering if you replaced the seal on your boat - and if so, where did you get the replacement from?John