After 40 years the rudder now has a bit of play laterally and fore and aft. Bottom of rudder can be moved less than an inch in all directions. Not bad but should be addressed. This also is most likely causing the leak through the shaft where it penetrates the deck fitting causing the donut to be not true to the stainless plate on the cockpit floor. The design is very simple – shaft rides inside tube (with grease) that is glassed into hull, shaft is open from top of tube to bottom of cockpit floor to allow steering quadrant , shaft goes through hole in cockpit floor, through stainless bearing plate on top of cockpit floor, through delrin washer, then shaft is threaded and donut installed that rides on delrin washer.
My initial thought is to machine a delrin bearing and washer that would fill the small gap between the shaft and hole in the bearing plate / cockpit floor but wanted to inquire if anyone else has had similar issues or thoughts John Read Legacy III 1982 C&C 34 Noank, CT
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