Yup, the rudder's definitely a soft spot, and, really, with nothing but a tack weld holding that pintle pin in place, it might as well BE a spade rudder. Or, like with the other one I looked at down to Robinhood Marine, the pin capturing the bearing in place rotted out and the bearing shinnied up into the rudderpost out of sight. Nothing holding the rudder other than hull. Which is why I welded the shit out of every bolt head, the entire pin, etc. on the pintle plate. She'll cross the Atlantic if I feel like taking a left on the way home - unless the rudder hits something. My Pearson 10M (toy) had a skeg hung rudder, very tough, and my Bristol 35 Alden rudder was fully attached to the keel top and bottom. Just got to get everything else in order on this boat and don't seem to have the time to do it. One thing I'm going to do is figure out -water pump grease maybe- what grease to put on the bearing that'll keep for awhile (at least) when I put this all back together. I'm still 1/16" shy of the right spacing under the bearing, thinking maybe a larger 1/16" stainless washer to sit on the pintle plate, delrin washer on top of that (1/4"), bearing on top of that. And not sure the 1/4" delrin washer on top of the rudder is going to fit. Need to get all over the Newfound installation as well, scrape the bottom, barrier coat, thru hulls. Crap. Going back to the V.I. next Monday, too, then back to Maine, then back to the V.I. until mid-July, then Maine until the end of hurricane season. I guess some of it'll get done on the dock in Stockton Harbor.
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