[quote=Edchris177][quote]1. Pivot hole in blades worn and sloppy. Fill and re-drill? Use existing holes and pad insert with epoxy?[/quote]
Dremel out any loose material, also cutting away some material underneath the current fibreglass will give the new epoxy something to bond to. Do all boards at one time. Place a piece of 2-3" wide masking tape over the hole on one side, then flip blades over. Mix some epoxy,(fast hardener in this case)adding microfibres,(colloidal silica is a bitch to sand), to get a consistency similar to honey, you want it to be able to "run" a bit, peanut butter is to thick. Fill the hole, then push a 5" tight fitting bolt up through the tape,(wax the bolt, it will make removal easier).
You want the new hole to be true, so now make sure the blade is level by sitting a spirit level near the hole. Then turn the level 90* & re-level. Next, using a simple 9" carpenter square, check the bolt is actually vertical, then move the square 90* around the bolt & recheck for vertical. You will now have a hole that is perpendicular to the plane of the blade. After epoxy is "green", turn the bolt & remove, it will come out quite easy.
[quote]2. Castings are not the type with a delrin screw for blade rake adjustment.[/quote]
I would sail the boat first, & see what you have. If it turns out you need MORE rake, the adjusters won't help. If you need LESS, the castings are all the same. It is fairly easy to drill & tap them. Start with a small drill. IIRC they are 9/16" NC. I made a couple dozen a few years ago, not sure I have any left, but I do have stock, & can whip up a few more, to whatever length you need, on my 5.7 I needed them a wee bit longer than the stock part.
[quote] Can I cut off an inch of tiller tube and drill new holes?[/quote]
I would make that my last resort. You could have a small piece welded over the hole & redrill, or cut a short piece of tubing lengthwise, drill it & place over the existing hole, it won't move once you tighten the bolts. You might have to slightly expand the tube, or squeeze it in a vice to fit closely.
Turn those bolts over! Don't leave the 1/4" of bolt sticking upwards, it WILL catch lines, & your skin. Ditto for the bolt sticking out the sides, cut it off & file smooth-you can't turn that one around as there is no room for the nut.
[quote]4. Add a sheave on the pin in the casting that the pull-down line runs over?[/quote]
There should be one there. I'm not sure how much difference it makes, but the larger the diameter, the easier it will be to pull the line.
[quote]5. Proper hardware for each end of pintle?[/quote]
Just use small split rings, like the one shown on the bottom of the pin, lose that big top end one ASAP. It will hang up the pulldown lines, & if it gets knocked off, that pin will will fall straight down, into the drink in a nanosecond. That will result in the entire rudder/casting coming off on that side. If it happens at speed, you will still be cursing this time next year!
Use the pivmatic til the little ears break. You can buy the cleat part,(Clamcleat Midi $9 IIRC) & rivet it on. Those plastic cleats wear at the top of the teeth, especially with 1/4" line. You can get several years more life out of them by going to a slightly thinner line that seats deeper. If they won't hold the line it's a major PITA on big wind days. We are rebuilding the 5.0 ones this spring. The original pivmatic is no longer for sale, but they sell a new mechanism that also releases.
Along with new plastic spacers, you mat still find quite a bit of slop between blade & casting. I wrapped some turns of electrical tape around the casting to take up the play-lasted 2 years.
To prevent those "U" fittings from turning & locking your steering, just get a couple feet of SS lockwire, feed it around the U a few times, pulling it snug with pliers at each turn. It will prevent the bracket from turning. Mine has held for 3 years now.[/quote]
