One piece rudder gungeon

Not having done it myself, but I looked into it before and to change to the new mounting involved mucking around with the holes (I think that it was going to require drilling new holes or re-tapping the old ones to a new thread). I decided that I wasn't confident enough because if I made a mistake (and you only get one shot at it) it would require bolts and nuts rather than screws to hold it on, which in turn requires installing an inspection hatch to get access to the inside of the hull to secure the nuts on th bolt. Also I was given advice that you need to have a securely mounted drill to drill the holes so the drill tip doesn't slip when you hit the metal plate under the fibreglass.

Just be careful when drilling the new holes, or you will end up putting a port in.

Use a new drill bit and don't force it. The metal plate inside the hull is aluminum, so it's relatively easy to drill and tap.

You will need to grind your old castings if thier being reused. They will hit on the new gudgons and won't turn properly

YIKES,starting to sound complicated.How much grinding is involved?

The old style stainless gugeons work fine if you keep them
tight. Clean everything and install new ones with some silicon and lock tight. If you have a hole stripped you can run a 1/4-20 tap right in the existing hole and get new ss screw. May have to grind lightly the head of the screw for clearence from the center of the gungeon. The new aluminum ones will wear out long before the SS and cost a lot of money.

Here's my experience: The one-piece gudgeon is from Hobie Europe or somewhere (metric hole spacing?), so the instructions directed me to slightly enlarge the holes in the gudgeon to match those in the transom. If your existing transom holes and screws are stock (#12) and in good condition, then no tapping should be required for the existing holes. Of course, with the one-piece gudgeon, you will have a new pair of gudgeon holes per side, and to utilize them you'll need to tap the transom. I used a 1/4 inch tap (slightly larger than #12), and the heads on the 1/4 inch screws were indeed a little too large (had to file a little) as mentioned above. Drilling and tapping the new holes was easy, and I did not have to grind the castings. It was a snug fit, though. Finally, all-in-all I have been pleasantly surprised with the wear characteristics of the one-piece gudgeons as compared to the older, stainless ones. Hope this helps!

Jerome
Hobie 16 "RATTLE 'N HUM"
Clinton, Mississippi

Thanks for all the advice.One dealer told me just to replace the 6 screws in the original 6 holes,said it should be plenty strong,and does not require drilling.Any thoughts

You may still need to enlarge the six holes in the new gudgeon slightly, but otherwise your dealer is probably right. You could always add the other two holes/screws later if you change your mind.

Jerome
Hobie 16 "RATTLE 'N HUM"
Clinton, Mississippi

Just finished the job.Way to much messing around for my liking.Still seem to have slop in that area.wondering if putting in rudder casting bushing helps eliminate some of that slop