[George Da Porge]

I’m getting a new rudder for our Catalina 30. In the process, I looked very close at the bottom of the hull/rudder post. See the attached pics. The surface at the bottom of the post is not flat. It rises toward the stern. From all appearances this is how the boat was built. The new rudder will have a thrust washer at this location, as did the other rudder. Is this non-contact area something to be concerned about and corrected? I will be repairing the cracks you can see around the post. Note: The piece of wood in the one pic isn’t really square to anything – I used it as a reference to a straight surface.

Any comments appreciated! I will be on the road for the next week or so, so if I don’t reply to a post right away, that’s why. Thanks!