After 19 years of use, the rudder on my boat really shows its age. It had two large gouges on the port side filled with bondo by a PO. I figure it had a collision with a prop even though the damage doesn't line up with the prop that came with the boat. I inlaid some pieces of mahogany, which looks like a repair, but a nice one. The bottom of the rudder was really chewed up and punky. I trimmed off 1/2" and after sanding and fairing the entire rudder I coated it with epoxy and a fiberglass cloth foot at the bottom to prevent damage at a point that gets a lot of hard use. Now for the questions. Has anyone refinished the aluminum rudder plates? The plates on my boat, original color black, developed corrosion under the bolts and pintles which lifted the paint. I don't know what paint would be the best to rehab the surface. The hole in the tiller for the helper shock cord has a lot of tearout on one side. Probably someone trying to enlarge the hole the quick way. My question, is the position of the hole sacred? I was thinking of filling it and drilling a new hole say a inch forward. Thanks, Rick Langer M15 #337