Hi I'm new here and I had a search but couldn't find any information about my specific problem.
I am in the process of fixing up a Seaway 25 trailer sailer and todays mission was getting the rudder moving smoothly which is proving more difficult than I imagined.

I am new to this boat business so excuse me if i'm not using the correct terminology.

The Collar inside the pipe that the rudder slips into appears to be made out of some timber like material which over the 13 or so years of non use appears to have absorbed water and expanded making the rudder hard to move. I've removed the block the tiller attaches too. so now it's just the steel going down into the pipe which is attached to the box like fiberglass piece which then slides into the rear of the boat. I cannot get the steel to go through the pipe because of the timber like material and it's expanding.

Any suggestions on how I might achieve this would be fantastic!

Photos to come