I own a 1980 365 pilothouse that needs rudder repairs.Does anyone have any advice on removal of the rudder ????
Oh no, sorry to hear that. Probably the first thing is to make sure the boat is high enough so the rudder post can clear the hull when you drop it. I would also clamp the steering cables to the pulleys so they stay in the grooves. Hopefully the quadrants can just be loosened and left to slide on the post, but ....
The bottom shoe/bearing has screws that may be covered but a little grinding will expose them.
Here is a link to another discussion that has some pictures.
http://www.pearson365.com/forum/index.php?topic=612.msg2736#msg2736 (http://www.pearson365.com/forum/index.php?topic=612.msg2736#msg2736)
I'm not sure exactly how that comes out but it appears the back of the rudder should move enough to drop.
Rudder problems are unusual on these, are you sure you can't fix it on the boat? I do understand it may be nicer as a winter project indoors rather than working with mitts and a parka.
Good Luck,
Bob
I removed the skeg foot that holds the rudder post up, and replaced the bushing while I was in there. Some of the picture are in the threat mentioned below, but I have more if that helps. I had to hold the rudder up because it was trying to slip downward. I believe if you loosen the quadrant bolts, the rudder shaft will slide down and out of the boat. You should probably remove the packing in the rudder stuffing box. I'll set up a link with pictures, and post it here later today.
Here's a link to the full set of photo's I have from the removal of the skeg foot/shoe assembly. There is a description at the bottom of each picture:
http://photobucket.com/Skeg (http://photobucket.com/Skeg)