Bob, that's the way mine was too. I would suggest replacing both the lower and uppers, about $100 from Buzz Ballenger. If you can send the OD of the upper post and lower post and dimension of the bearings that will help him. (I actually drove rudder and old bearings down to him) I know there are variations and I even had to grind the ends of one new bearing a little. I believe my lowers originally had a chamfer (sp?) on the top end that wasn't part of the new bearing set.

If you decide to add sealant instead, some have had difficulty removing the bearings later. On the other hand, others that have used Silicones report slippage. I used a polysulfide blend from Life calk(?) and it's still adhering a year later.

:: I own #93 in Michigan.
::
:: I noticed that the lower bearing is loose in the
:: 'pocket'. Both bearings appear to be good on the rudder
:: post (no slop).
::
:: Do you think I could just lower the rudder, drop the
:: lower bearing, put some 5100 (or silicone?) around the
:: bearing O.D., then just push the bearing tightly back in
:: with the rudder and replace the collar?
::
:: Would that seem to be an adequate procedure?
::
:: Bob