Boat bearing RPB-D

rudderself-aligning

The Tides Marine Type-D rudder port is an integrated approach to rudder port installation. It was developed for both the FRP boat builder and for retrofits. Unlike conventional post layup rudder port installations, the FRP receiver (Liner) for the Type-D rudder port can be incorporated into the primary hull lamination, resulting in an assembly stronger than any bronze rudder port. Tides Marine can supply mold tooling for this purpose. The Type-D system is also easy to use as a retrofit for replacing other types of conventional rudder ports. No tooling is required. One reason many boat builders are changing to the Type-D system is the significant labor savings associated with this approach. To accommodate various conventional rudder ports currently available, builders have to perform a variety of post-lay-up operations on each hull being produced. These include: building up / leveling mounting blocks, locating the correct position and axis for the rudder stock hole, aligning and drilling pilot holes and subsequent thru-holes, checking and adjusting for misalignment which may have occurred along the way and, finally, locating and drilling the mounting holes for the conventional port unit. These operations require special jigs and fixtures, several skilled workers, numerous tools and significant man hours to complete. The Type-D Rudder Port System incorporates a unique FRP liner into each hull lay-up which accepts a matching rudder bearing and lip seal assembly. The placement and angle of each liner is predetermined by a one-time mold modification.