These babies haven't budged in about 17 years. Steel rudders on an aluminum boat. Whatevah...
When Sa Va was towed down river in 2000, somebody tried to muscle the spades straight by applying brute force to the helm wheel. Bad idea, since it caused the vertical steering shaft from the helm to pop out of its pivot point in the bilge.
I removed the pin to eliminate the strain between the shaft and the pushrod. You can see from the pic that with the two disconnected there's a good, solid 9" beween the pin and it's corresponding hole on the shaft arm.
Aside from the usual wd-40, Marvel Mystery Oil, etc, heat on the aluminum, cold on the steel, and the judicious application of a large mallet after bracing up the hull from the underside, any ideas on how to remove these rudders? Also, does everybody else with AL Roamers have steel rudders?
The vertical shaft from the helm doesn't turn either. Hopefully, the gearbox isn't bumhoolied.