Stuck tiller?

[Jacopo 0]

My tiller is badly in need of a revarnish so this Sunday I went on the boat to take it home. I was assuming it was just a matter of undoing the bolt connecting the tiller bracket to the rudder shaft block. The nut came out easily but the bolt itself would not budge. I tried twisting the bolt head and hammering from the threaded side, it would not move, it felt like it was cemented there, perhaps it had been epoxied there for some reason by previous owners? The tiller moves fine up-down so only the part through the rudder block was ‘cemented’.

Anyone come across something like this before? Any suggestions on what to do?

[Black Panther 1,692]

Brute force, spray cans of magic stuff, apply heat.

[Terry B 73]

BP might have nailed it re the heat. I just freed a 12mm bow roller bolt that would not budge by using a heat gun on the threaded end for 2 minutes. Came apart easy after that.

Yours may have either epoxy or thread lock goo in there - both will 'melt' with heat applied.

Just be careful as the bolt will stay hot for a while :)

 

[waikiore 445]

Heat over 42 degrees and the bolt will be threaded through the block so you still have to unwind. 

[CarpeDiem 510]

Mine is the same. Could not remove that bottom bolt. 

Instead I removed the wooden part from the metal part. 

The wood was much easier to work out. 

[chariot 244]

Had the bolt break when sailing on my Cav 32. I drilled it out. Much bad language. 

[Jacopo 0]

8 hours ago, CarpeDiem said:

Mine is the same. Could not remove that bottom bolt. 

Instead I removed the wooden part from the metal part. 

The wood was much easier to work out. 

Yeah I thought about that as a plan B but in my case that doesn't look like an easy task either, and definitely something I'd prefer to attempt at home, not on the water.

[Jacopo 0]

8 hours ago, chariot said:

Had the bolt break when sailing on my Cav 32. I drilled it out. Much bad language. 

Yes I definitely want to avoid this happening, that's why I was cautious in applying brute force!

[Jacopo 0]

8 hours ago, waikiore said:

Heat over 42 degrees and the bolt will be threaded through the block so you still have to unwind. 

Thanks for the suggestion. "42 degrees" sounds very precise 😀, is it a typo? Google tells me that for example to unlock thee loctite red stuff you need 250 degrees!

 https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/nz/en/applications/all-applications/how-to/how-to-remove-red-threadlocker.html

[Jacopo 0]

8 hours ago, Terry B said:

BP might have nailed it re the heat. I just freed a 12mm bow roller bolt that would not budge by using a heat gun on the threaded end for 2 minutes. Came apart easy after that.

Yours may have either epoxy or thread lock goo in there - both will 'melt' with heat applied.

Just be careful as the bolt will stay hot for a while

 

Thanks, I'm on a mooring so heat gun not an option for me, I'm going to have to get creative. I might give it a try with a BBQ lighter, or I might buy one of those kitchen blowtorches...

[Island Time 1,284]

Heat is always an option. Butane blow torch from hardware store :https://www.bunnings.co.nz/tradeflame-220g-butane-power-gas-heating-torch_p5910232

 

[waikiore 445]

Should not have loctite . I was referring to common boatbuilding epoxy.