I AM NOT SURE OF CONTINUING THIS THREAD HERE OR BY E:MAIL - BUT HERE GOES -
ALL BENETEAU SEEM TO HAVE THE F/ GLASS RUDDER STOCK FITTED IN A F/GLASS TUBE ,WHICH IS BONDED THROUGH THE HULL AND BRACED BY 4 X 45 DEGREE GUSSETS , WHICH ARE F/G TAPED TO THE TUBE AND THE FLOOR OF THE HULL . I FELT THIS WAS A POOR METHOD . SO TO SUPPORT THE STRUCTURE , I USED A 400 X 400 MM X 8 MM S/STEEL PLATE ( 316) AND WELDED A S/S BUSH IN THE CENTER TO HOUSE A NYLON BUSH , THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE TOP 70 MM OF THE RUDDER STOCK . THE PLATE , I BOLTED AND EPOXIED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE DECK . THE BUSH NEEDS TO BE BIGGER TO ACCOMODATE THE ALIGNMENT AND THE EMERGENCY STEERING RING . IN ADDITION THE TOPOF RUDDER STOCK IS NOT PERFECTLY ROUND , BUT HAS AN O/D OF 70MM , SO I FITTED A S/STEEL TUBE (NOT SHOWN IN THE DRAWINGS) , THE TUBE IS 70MM O/D WITH A 2 X MM WALL BY 60 MM LONG . THIS CANNOT BE LARGER THAN THE O/D OF THE STOCK ,OR YOU CANNOT REMOVE THE RUDDER ! - I HAND FILED THE TOP OF THE STOCK TO A TAP FIT OF THE 70 MM TUBE , WHICH I EXPOXIED IN PLACE , THIS ALSO STRENGTHENS THE SQUARE RECESS INTO WHICH THE EMERGENCY STEERING LEVER FITS .
TO FIT THIS I DROPPED THE RUDDER ABOUT 100MM , PLACED THE SQUARE PLATE ON TOP OF THE RUDDER STOCK - LIFTED UP NTHE RUDDER INTO POSITION . THE RUDDER WAS 11MM OFF CENTER AND THE 400X400PLATE , ABOUT 10 MM OFF SQUARE TO THE DECK . I DRILLED THE OUTER 4 X HOLES THROUGH THE DECK AND USED S/S WASHERS AS SPACERS TO COMPENSATE FOR THE ALIGNMENT OF THE DECK AND THEN EPOXIED THE PLATE IN POSITION , ONCE DRY I FITTED THE REMAINING BOLTS . IT HAS REMOVED ALL PLAY IN THE STEERING ( TWIN WHEELS ) , MUCH SMOOTHER . I ALSO FEEL IT IS ENORMOUSLY STRONGER . SOME OF THE THICKNESS OF THE STEEL IS A LITTLE OVER THE TOP BUT , THEY WHERE ALL OFF CUT PIECES .THE NYLON BUSH IS NON ABSORBENT - NOT THAT, THAT IS IMPORTANT . I FEEL THAT THE RUDDER IS IMMENSELY STRONGER , BUT ABOVE ALL , THAT THE RUDDER TUBE IS MUCH LESS LIKELY TO EVER BREAK , CREATING AN ENORMOUS HOLE IN THE HULL . IF ANYONE NEEDS ANYMORE INFO/ DETAIL PLEASE CONTACT ME GARTH PS EXCUSE THE CAPITALS