Rudder Bushing Sealant

[Chuncky]

My top rudder bushing is located in a recess at the aft end of the cockpit. the top face looks badly crazed, so I've decided to replace it. Here's an image of the location, with the bearing and its housing removed.


I've read the many posts on rudder bushing materials and manufacture, so I'll take full account of those. The bushing sits inside a stainless steel housing and the top flange on the housing is bolted down into the base of the recess by 4 coach bolts that can be seen in the photo. It's not a particularly tight fit between the housing and 'deck' through which it passes. The 'deck' isn't perpendicular to the rudder stock, so the underside of the top flange isn't parallel to the deck so we'll need a fair bit of sealant between the flange and the deck at one side.

So, the question is, what sealant to use between the top flange of the bushing housing and the 'deck' . The existing sealant has cured hard, but a friend is suggesting using a butyl-type sealant. I'm concerned that the softer sealant won't hold the top of the rudder stock tightly enough when it's loaded up in a blow. Any suggestions?

The boat is a Westerly Regatta 370.

 

[vyv_cox]

It does not seem to be something that needs to be disassembled very often, so I would suggest that a sealant that sets hard is beneficial if you can level up the flange. A hybrid type would be my choice, OB1 sets quite solid.