[quote=sax2ter]The nice folks at Salty Dog Marine have exchanged my short forestay with one of the correct length, (Thank You Very Much!)
Now, only one final chore stands between the ocean and me: The hiking stick is pretty sloppy where it mounts to the rudder tie-rod. The hole has gotten worn over the years, (where the hiking stick attachment bolt passes through), and there is a lot of steering play as a result.
At present, my proposed fix involves cleanly drilling out the hole in the tie-rod to a larger bore, and installing a bushing of some sort to make up a better interference fit. But, it seems like the bushing would need to have some sort of flange on each end to keep it centered on the hollow tie-rod, (don’t exactly know how I might fabricate this part). Or I suppose I could try reinforcing the tie-rod with some sort of external sleeve or mending plate, at the point where the hiking stick passes through the tie-rod. Could also drill a new mounting hole a couple of inches to the left or right of the current hole, and just deal with the hiking stick not being exactly the same length when I pass if from one side to the other.
Does anyone out there have any experience with fixing this problem? Your ideas, (or better yet, pictures), of how to best (and permanently) fix this problem are welcome!
Whatever the fix, I would like to keep it simple, (and cheap), as possible.
Thanks,
Sax[/quote]
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