Hi Malcolm Thanks for sharing. I’m currently in the same situation. My question is: Are you gluing the hull and the “sleeve” you made together? Ive ordered a complete set of bearing/bushings from Bénéteau, and replace top, bottom and the thin washer. I wanna go for another solution, as i’m planning on taking a thin fibermatt, and glue that into the hole in the hull. I believe that you kept the bushing, “in a live rotationel state”? How do you make sure to keep the opening in the bushing towards the bow/sailing direction? Enjoy the upcoming season Fair winds all. Br La Vie
Hi Good timing with your question as the boat was only lifted last Friday. The very first thing I checked was the rudder which has held up well. There is some play but nothing like as much as last season and I have decided not to carry out maintenance on it this year. The movement at the bottom of the rudder is approximately half of what it was last season 10mm and there is a small amount of movement at the top which is probably due to the copper bedding in. My only thoughts were I probably could have tightened the pipe clip a little tighter but as I said in the video I didn't want to trap the rudder stock. What we did find during the season was after a couple of months the rudder developed a slight squeak which eventually disappeared. I assumed that this was the copper sleeve freeing itself from the fibreglass sleeve. I have also thought that it maybe possible to obtain a thicker piece of copper plate and bend that around the shaft. I hope that helps. Malcolm
Beneteau recommends to use polyurethane adhesive ( ex: 3M 5200) instead of thickened epoxy, therefore, if eventually you need to remove the bronze bearing , it will be possible.
Did it work long term? Looked like a high quality "work around" in place of a super expensive full repair. You said you could see wear the where has occurred. I couldn't see wear the where is, is it their? It's near the hull whole?🥴😖😳🤔😷 That's amazing, a huge bearing. Was surprised to see how similar that bearing looks to engine main and connecting rod bearings...which take a tremendous amount of force. Good work! Thank you for taking the time to create edit and post your videos!
Hi Malcolm, How is it now out of curiosity? Also is that an Alu shaft. I see a Bavaria with Alu shaft and wonder if AL is up to the job.... Stainless surely is better? Also copper on alu and /or steel surely is not as good as Teflon from a corrosion perspective.? replace with Teflon? Thanks for posting. Good idea, cost /time wise I might do that to my own boat . I might have: used the pipe jubilee clip at the base of the copper bearing, then used releasing agent over all that, then pushed it up into the tube with carbon chopstrand epoxy resin spread round inside the tube, then when set pulled out to gently bore/clean above the new hull tube (black filler easy to differentiate) and left the the key (carbon) created by the gap in the bearing so it would not turn against the hull/tube anymore.......? Then refit.. similar result, . Maybe more work
Hi thanks for you comment. Its now in its 3rd season since I effected that repair and although there is some play in the rudder it is still not as bad as it was. The one thing I thought I may done better with would be not to back off on the pipe clip too much thus making a tighter fit. The copper would easily bed in to its new shape. The rudder stock is stainles steel and all parts are original. As the boat is a syndicate boat it gets a lot of use during the season so its had a pretty good test.
Hi Malcom , nice your videos.. i also have a oceanis 393 , and i have a problem with Shaft seal propeller. I dont know if you have a video to change it. is it possible to change it with boat on water ??? i have to do as it is Losing water, dripping... thks for your help..
+Guðjón S Steindórsson I'm not sure that you can replace the whole stern tube as it is moulded into the hull but you can replace the top bearing once you have completely removed the rudder from the boat. The upper baring is a white nylon bush which can be purchased a new one from Beneteau ( £300) but you can get one made by Davey Machining centre, Ipswich - 01473 255575) fabricated one ( £120) - to the spec provided by my engineer - based on the original minus allowance for previous wear. I can't recall the material, but he was already familiar with the issue and knew what to use.
Well mine has lasted a further 10 years after wearing out some 25 years after the boat was built.......it's far from temporary it's exactly how pretty much ALL the production boats out of France do it these days. But hey ho, I suppose keyboard warriors know best.
I would not use your technique for making this repair. I would have made the dimensional measurements and had a new on fabricated to the required thickness and installed it proper. I think your giving bad advice in this case. Proper mechanical engineering practice is to replace shims and sleeves that are out of tolerance with shims or sleeves that provide the proper tolerance. Pretty basic really.
I entirely agree with you. Now I actually know how it is constructed the next time I take the rudder bearing to pieces I would have the copper shim machined but at least my initial repair allows you to do that. I was originally advised to glue the copper bearing in position. So far the whole thing has been fine. P.S. there are no sleeves that you can replace only the stock tube which was cast into the fibreglass hull during manufacture.
Believe it or not some people actually use their boats and end up with problems in far flung places where access to a machine shop is impossible. This workaround is possible providing one can even find even the matt and resin!
Hi Malcolm
Thanks for sharing. I’m currently in the same situation.
My question is:
Are you gluing the hull and the “sleeve” you made together?
Ive ordered a complete set of bearing/bushings from Bénéteau, and replace top, bottom and the thin washer.
I wanna go for another solution, as i’m planning on taking a thin fibermatt, and glue that into the hole in the hull.
I believe that you kept the bushing, “in a live rotationel state”? How do you make sure to keep the opening in the bushing towards the bow/sailing direction?
Enjoy the upcoming season
Fair winds all.
Br
La Vie
Hi
Good timing with your question as the boat was only lifted last Friday.
The very first thing I checked was the rudder which has held up well. There is some play but nothing like as much as last season and I have decided not to carry out maintenance on it this year. The movement at the bottom of the rudder is approximately half of what it was last season 10mm and there is a small amount of movement at the top which is probably due to the copper bedding in. My only thoughts were I probably could have tightened the pipe clip a little tighter but as I said in the video I didn't want to trap the rudder stock. What we did find during the season was after a couple of months the rudder developed a slight squeak which eventually disappeared. I assumed that this was the copper sleeve freeing itself from the fibreglass sleeve. I have also thought that it maybe possible to obtain a thicker piece of copper plate and bend that around the shaft.
I hope that helps. Malcolm
Beneteau recommends to use polyurethane adhesive ( ex: 3M 5200) instead of thickened epoxy, therefore, if eventually you need to remove the bronze bearing , it will be possible.
Did it work long term? Looked like a high quality "work around" in place of a super expensive full repair.
You said you could see wear the where has occurred. I couldn't see wear the where is, is it their? It's near the hull whole?🥴😖😳🤔😷
That's amazing, a huge bearing. Was surprised to see how similar that bearing looks to engine main and connecting rod bearings...which take a tremendous amount of force. Good work! Thank you for taking the time to create edit and post your videos!
Hi Malcolm, How is it now out of curiosity? Also is that an Alu shaft. I see a Bavaria with Alu shaft and wonder if AL is up to the job.... Stainless surely is better?
Also copper on alu and /or steel surely is not as good as Teflon from a corrosion perspective.? replace with Teflon?
Thanks for posting. Good idea, cost /time wise I might do that to my own boat . I might have: used the pipe jubilee clip at the base of the copper bearing, then used releasing agent over all that, then pushed it up into the tube with carbon chopstrand epoxy resin spread round inside the tube, then when set pulled out to gently bore/clean above the new hull tube (black filler easy to differentiate) and left the the key (carbon) created by the gap in the bearing so it would not turn against the hull/tube anymore.......? Then refit.. similar result, . Maybe more work
Hi thanks for you comment. Its now in its 3rd season since I effected that repair and although there is some play in the rudder it is still not as bad as it was. The one thing I thought I may done better with would be not to back off on the pipe clip too much thus making a tighter fit. The copper would easily bed in to its new shape. The rudder stock is stainles steel and all parts are original. As the boat is a syndicate boat it gets a lot of use during the season so its had a pretty good test.
On our 2nd year at the moment. As stated below replacing the copper sleeve with a thicker one if you can get one is another option.
Hi Malcom , nice your videos..
i also have a oceanis 393 , and i have a problem with Shaft seal propeller. I dont know if you have a video to change it.
is it possible to change it with boat on water ???
i have to do as it is Losing water, dripping... thks for your help..
Hi Malcolm thanks for sharing this with us. I now need to do the same. Any change you figured out where or how to get a replacement sleeve.
+Guðjón S Steindórsson I'm not sure that you can replace the whole stern tube as it is moulded into the hull but you can replace the top bearing once you have completely removed the rudder from the boat.
The upper baring is a white nylon bush
which can be purchased a new one from Beneteau ( £300) but you can get one made by
Davey Machining centre, Ipswich - 01473
255575) fabricated one ( £120) - to the spec provided
by my engineer - based on the original minus allowance for previous
wear. I can't recall the material, but he was already familiar with
the issue and knew what to use.
Hi Malcolm, looks like I need to do what you have done with my 411. Has your repair been successful ?? Is it still sound ?
Wrap the bearing in thin copper, and tin them together.
The problem from the copper bearing wearing out. Just replace it.
Hi, how is the result after one season? Is it OK? I have to repair my Bene 281 and I want to know. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
+Ivan Minchev - Did you find a way to repair your Bene 281? Have the same problem of ours and trying to figure out a solution. Thanks!
Unfortunately not!
to clear it i mean, i want to change the Stuffing box, of propeller. thks.
That looks like a temp fix, how long did it last?
Well mine has lasted a further 10 years after wearing out some 25 years after the boat was built.......it's far from temporary it's exactly how pretty much ALL the production boats out of France do it these days. But hey ho, I suppose keyboard warriors know best.
👍👍
My 37 year old Westerly Fulmar has less movement than that....
PVA =polyvinyl alcohol not the glue 😉
I would not use your technique for making this repair. I would have made the dimensional measurements and had a new on fabricated to the required thickness and installed it proper. I think your giving bad advice in this case. Proper mechanical engineering practice is to replace shims and sleeves that are out of tolerance with shims or sleeves that provide the proper tolerance. Pretty basic really.
I entirely agree with you. Now I actually know how it is constructed the next time I take the rudder bearing to pieces I would have the copper shim machined but at least my initial repair allows you to do that. I was originally advised to glue the copper bearing in position. So far the whole thing has been fine. P.S. there are no sleeves that you can replace only the stock tube which was cast into the fibreglass hull during manufacture.
Believe it or not some people actually use their boats and end up with problems in far flung places where access to a machine shop is impossible.
This workaround is possible providing one can even find even the matt and resin!