28.5 rudder
The stainlesws steel shaft of the rudder runs up inside a fiberglass tube with a nylon collar and aluminum quadrant attached at it's upper end above a plywood gusset plate. The top is visible from a round access plate for the emergency tiller located under the teak captains seat. The fiberglass tube eliminates the need for any packing but in time the stainless steel will wear the fiberglass and you may feel some side to side play in the rudder post. I believe West System shows a way to create an epoxy collar impregnated with graphite if you want to tackle a re-build of the lower end of that fiberglass tube. It's an interesting project to say the least.
