rudder

i was wanting some advice on lowering the rudder on a 2004 supra. It looks like it may gotten hit and it seems to be getting in a bind when steering. If I could just lower the rudder maybe 1/8 of a inch it would not rub. Is there any trick to doing this or is it something that I need to take in. Is there a reason that anyone can for see that this not a good idea. The boat does not take on any water so I dont think anything is damaged.Thanks

If it rubs, there is damage. Have someone experienced take a good look at it. If you have fiberglass damage, seepage will be really expensive to repair if you let it go.

Thanks I have not seen any seepage at all. I think it could of possibly happened while loading the boat on the trailer.

When you have small fractures of the fiberglass surrounding the hull bearing, you can get water into the fiberglass substrate making the area really soft. You also have a plastic bearing that is simple to replace (although tedious). That could be the issue, as well.

thanks. Do you have any tips on taking the rudder off and replacing/checking the bearing and the fiberglass??

There's really no way to lower the rudder as it uses a cotter pin through a non-adjustable hole to hold it in place. I also have a 2004 Supra and had to replace the rudder a couple years ago when I hit something and knocked the rudder clean off. I went through www.skidim.com for the new rudder as they were a good $100 cheaper than getting it from the dealer. Ski-dim had Supra drop ship it straight to my door, so there is no worry of getting non-OEM parts from them. I want to say that the rudder was around $250 ish?

It's actually very simple to replace, though it's a bitch to get to if you have a V-drive. You'll need a buddy to hold the rudder up through the hull while you slip in the cotter pin. Just make sure you thoroughly lube it up with some marine grease before you install it. Then re-attach the steering linkage and you're done. That;'s pretty much it, so unless you have some hull damage there's really no reason to pay your dealer $400-$500 to do it for you.

To make it easy, drop the boat in the water and put it back on the trailer a foot back from the bow stop. You will have plenty of clearance to drop the rudder straight down. Much easier as a two-person job. Use spline grease on the shaft - it does not wash out.

thanks for all the advice. is the cotter pin under the linkage? i looked the other day and only saw the linkage which I think was 2 bolts and nuts that attached to the rudder shaft .so is the cotter pin under that? sorry for all the questions

I think you're correct..... It's been a couple years since I replaced it, so take my advice for waht it's worth...., but yes, I think there is a bolt and the the cotter pin holds the bot in place. Sorry for the confusion.

thanks nauty for the help