Capt willie,
I cannot use the private message option because it has a 500 character limitation that includes your message. I find it frustrating and stupid.
OK. I built up 338s corroded rudder shoe with bondo to my reading of the specs in the Manual. Corroded in place where the zincs were
attached(!) and also involved straightening one of the flanges that had been bent because of the tightening of bolts Had it cast locally in silicon bronze.
The end of the keel crumbled when the shoe was taken off because it was solid polyester with no fiberglass in it. One inner bolt held the shoe on. A DFO had also remounted the shoe slightly further aft. It was a mess with too many holes. So it was rebuilt with a couple of silicon bronze spikes vertically up into the good stuff. And I used the new shoe to mold a new end of epoxy and chopped strand to the keel over the ends of the spikes. Mocked up a dowel shaft so that it centered in the rudder tube and had the same standoff from the keel top to bottom. Easy to do when wet because slight adjustments can be made before clamping or propping. Used a scew bottle jack.
BUT it turned out the new shoe was a bit larger than the old one, in relatiuon to the existing keel). Using a long batten, on one side, the 'flat' part of the keel forward of the rudder post was kindof hollow.... The other bowed a bit, and I couldn't stand it. Now both sides are faired out at least 3/16" back to the rudder post. Now, it's at least 1 3/4"-2"wide the whole end of the keel where the rudder swings. The shoe fairs into the keel so you hardly notice.
Turned out (that my interpretation of) the shoe from the Manual translated on to 338 was wider than what 338 had befor. Fairing it to the keel is maybe too much for a normal refit. However, if you are interested:
The model is heavy because the old one is inside. But it is delicate and still covered with the foundary's graffite used to make the sand mold. You're welcome to borrow it, I'll UPS it to the foundry of your choice, if you promise to ship it back!
First, check, get some measurements with outside calipers to see if it has an acceptable fit your boat. The model is 3 1/4 inches OA across the flanges on the forward end - 2 3/4" inside. And about 2 1/8" - 1 5/8" inside - at the aft end where the fitting is solid and slanted to take the rudder shaft. This casting model is an even 1/4" thick all round.
Have to drill the bearing hole yourself, which will require a tricky jig to hold it for the drillpress. I spent a lot of time making sure the hole was exactly centered. And the holes thru the side are your choice, but the 4-pin pattern is in the Manual. I had a machine shop drill the 3/4" x 3/4" deep hole where, precisely as I could, using the 6' mock shaft dowel (to locate exactly where the ruddershoe was originally : see page 171 in the Manual), traced it on the flat. Flat required no clean-up or machining.
It's for sure the same size inside as the original, right there inside the original model.
Hope this is useful.
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