Day 70

This little box at the aft end of the keel is what holds the rudder in place and must be quite sturdy. Keeping the 1/2 inch at correct height is also very important as this will house the lower bearing "block" and everything must be straight.
This part must be whole bottom of the coated before the The center point was plumbed to down to aft stembar We at first thought side plates in place the aft of the keel was painted, it	1/2" across top and 3/8" off keel aft	done now as the keel must be finish- boat is turned over! of the extension ensure accuracy center. that with the large that it would make ugly, but once it looked just fine :o)

Gena did a lot of intense welding for strength, the last thing we'd need is our rudder falling off in rough seas 1000 miles from nowhere! We've read lots of stories where that did happen, mostly due to not enough maintenance but sometimes just the shear stresses the sea can put on a rudder can snap it right off. Some welding had to be left at the extreme end for after turn over, painting it won't be a problem there as it is a rizen part.
The welds where the plate meets the keel sides had to be built up and smoothed to a longer taped...just for looks