After some rather spirited banter on the
new
Beneteau First 235 Forums concerning
the rudder assembly and its strengths and weaknesses, not to mention
a timely post by Ian McPherson on the very same bushing problem,
we decided it might be best to make our own again, just as Tom
had done in the past, this from DELRIN STOCK, a material
that is EXTREMELY hard. Tom had given me the rather crude drawings
and I posted the same via the forum. Well, enter Larry Pockras
and his excellent .pdf versions of these very Pintle Bushings.
In order for the First 235 steering to
remain up to par, I think these need replacement more often than
we would like to admit. Personally, I think a new full set a year
is probably the best for the least amount of steering play, this
if sailing in more heavy conditions.
Thanks to Ian McPherson, we have filled an order of over 200
bushings done by a CNC shop out of DELRIN using the supplied
drawings along with a sample. See the F235 Bushings above - Excellent
work and better than the stock offereings in my opinion. We are
looking for a Rudder Screw/bolt Delrin custom option now. Details
to follow. See the Beneteau
First 235 Forums for latest info.
Pintle
Bushing Drawings by Larry Pockras
Each rudder system has two sets of these bushings, one pair for
each mounting point.
And don't make the mistake of thinking either of the pair is more
or less important - if there is a weak link here in any bushing,
it will be apparent and the more wind and challenging conditions,
the worse it is.
Pockras Nylon Rudder Bolts
The first order of 100 Nylon F235 Rudder screws has been
completed. Thanks to The Pock for the help here. These were EXCELLENT
and all seem happy. I know I am - mine are being put to use as
much as possible. These Nylon screws were made in Germany and
the price and quality is very good, better than factory in my
experience. The pricing was insanely good.
- More later
