First Major Fix – Rudder Cage – Phase 4 – Scavenger Hunt

If you've been following along, you know we've gone through 3 phases in repairing the rudder cage (phase 1, phase 2, phase 3). When we discovered the broken weld on the rudder cage, I thought that I might have a tough time finding someone who could weld stainless steel, but a scavenger hunt never crossed my mind.

During the removal of the rudder cage, Bill dropped one of the 1/2 inch by 5 inches long stainless steel hex bolt into the lake. Most boat owners can tell you that no magnet rivals a lake for attracting metal ;).

So, I need to replace a bolt. Big deal. Just go the your local Home Depot or Lowe's, right? Wrong! The Home Depots and Lowe's in my area didn't carry stainless steel hex bolt and the local Ace Hardware carried the bolts, but not that long. So the hunt was on. I gain decided to let my fingers do the walking in the Real Yellow Page (metaphorically speaking). After several phone call, I came across a company called Star Stainless Screw company, in Norcross, GA. With the help of Ann, I was able to acquire 3 stainless steel hex bolts, 1/2 inch by 5 inches long, coarse thread. Thank You Ann!!!

I also needed to find 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch marine grade bungee to replace the bungee that looped through the rudder cage. Here again, I tried the local name brand hardware and marine stores. No luck. I was finally able to find the bungee at a place called General Hardware off Peachtree Road NE in Atlanta. This hardware store specializes in hard to find items and was like stepping back in time. The store was small, compared to Home Depot, and stuff was everywhere. When I walked in I thought, how does anyone find anything here. Answer, the staff. The staff seem to know every item in stock and it's location. My Dad would love this place.

Now that we have all of the components, it's time to install!