Sempre Libra has the stock tiller steering and rudder. The plastic bushing that supports the rudder post in its fiberglass tube has worn to the point the rudder jiggles around a little and is getting noisy. When on autopilot, the small amount of slop makes the machine work harder than it needs to. The original rudder bushing (plastic) has a flange on top that the tiller head rests on. This flange also keeps the bushing from just sliding out the bottom of the rudder tube..
Is there a source for a new drop-in bushing or will this be a custom fabrication job??
Okay, now that it's apart, the "bushing" is actually a length of PVC pipe of unknown size glued in the fiberglass rudder post tube. The rudder post is a heavy-wall stainless tube, 1-5/8" diameter. The flange on top that supports the tiller head fitting is an easy to replace separate part. I will make two bushings (top and bottom) out of 3" wide brass shim stock to compensate for the wear and call it a day..How the brass shims and stainless shaft will get along time will tell..
