rudder bushings

[Aron Kormout]

Hello friends, just wondering if anyone knows if '69 cal 34 had bushings in the rudder stock and where to get repacement. I'll be pulling her out of the water for a couple months in feb. There is a fair bit of play in th shaft tube while boat is underway, it appears that the rudder has fallen, but tiller hardware is still tight. The tube itself is still super soild but when snorkelling and cleaning the bottom I noticed what appeared to be a ring (leftover from previous bushing?) and want to have replacement located while boat is out.. Not too many places to look in S oregon . Thank for any help.... AK

[Danny Shaffer]

Hi Aron, Dan here.  Brand new to the Cal group.  You may have had replies to assist you already...but here's what I found out.  We sail a 1970 C34 and she's undergoing total refit and systems upgrade.  I had play in wheel and yes the bearing/shaft tube is molded fiberglass.  That's it.  So I pulled the rudder, sanded the shaft tube then resurfaced it with West System epoxy infused w/ grafite.  (All available from West Systems.)  After curing, I sanded it down with med then fine paper.  The rudder shaft rides substantially tighter and smoother.  The ring you referred to is all I had there at the base as well.  I guess they kept it pretty simple.