Starting at the back end with the job that's taken loads of head-scratching. My plan involved fitting a big rudder through the rear extension and hoping I could run and operating rod through the back end without leaving holes to let water in.
I think the vac-formed hull is made from a sort of ABS. It's strong but once I hacked a hole in the rudder support, I didn't feel it was strong enough. A lining of 2mm plastic firmed things up and also filled in the big gap to keep water out of the hull.
I should have used a pillar drill for the vertical holes for the rudder but couldn't be bothered to dig it out of the cupboard. Careful measuring, not easy when there are so few hard edges to play with, and drilling seemed to give an acceptable result. The hole was opened out to take a rudder, all the parts being epoxied in place. In fact, there is quite a lot of Pound Shop Epoxy going on here. Gloopy glue is ideal for sealing up gaps, especially where you can't see them.
The operating rod is a lovely fit in some brass tub so I reckon a smear of glue or grease will keep absolutely all the water out. Movement is limited but as this is a fast boat I don't want it to turn too hard. We'll see though, my plan is to get on the water quite early in this build as there are a few imponderables.
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