Your new pintle will disappear into the water if the nut that holds it to the casting backs off. The right way to avoid this is to lock the nut in place by expanding the top of the threaded portion of the pintle after the nut is installed. It’s a little tricky and must be done carefully to avoid damage to the rudder head casting which is no longer available.

1. It is best to remove the rudder blade from the rudder head casting. This is not strictly required but the lighter assembly will be much easier to handle.

2. Install the new pintle with the washers and nut supplied. Apply MareLube TEF 45 as per the instructions on the package to the inside of the hole in the aluminum casting and to the outside of the shaft of the pintle. This will protect against dissimilar metal corrosion.

3. Support the bottom of the pintle on a heavy solid object like an anvil or a bench vise. You’ll probably need a second pair of hands for this.

4. Place the tip of a center punch in the small hole at the top of the pintle. Strike the punch with several blows from a heavy hammer. The goal is to expand the threads above the nut enough to lock the tightened nut into position.

BE CAREFUL: All of the force of the hammer blows must be taken by the pintle only NOT the casting. If the casting takes any of the force of the blow it will likely break. The casting can not be replaced.