Upper Rudder Plate Progress

More progress on the upper rudder control linkage deck. The upright mounting plate was cut from brass stock and soldered to the lower deck plate. The upper rudder fin indexing pin hole was used as the hole for the stainless hex head bolt.

From this angle you can see the access hole for the nyrod control link has not been drilled yet. I want to keep this opening to a minimum to reduce stress on the solder joints. Will probably put brass braces on either side of the hole to add support.

The rack and pinion resting in place. I'll need to finish a few more things before calculating the final length of rack needed. The square brass tube serves as a guide and support. With a little grinding and experimentation it should all fit. The new GRP upper rudder fin will fit down over everything and actually bolt onto the control linkage deck.
My benchtop 5" disc sander has been a life saver. It grinds down the soft brass easily.