My rudder castings are wearing way down, where the tiller castings rub against it. Has anyone tried adding wire feed aluminum welding to this spot, to build it back up? (I know a good welder who is cheap, cheap, cheap!)

Hey same thing I got mine welded today he used a tig welder I filed the outside flat first and plan to do a rubbing of my 16 casting to get the original contour back on the lower I will get the contour back on the upper but plan to leave it wide instead of tapering like original to promote longer life if increased friction is a problem I will try reducing spring tension. Inclosed si a pic.

WOW!

It looks like you are well on your way to completing the project. I wasn't probably going to get to this until March or April. (I got snow and cold here, so there is no rush.) Do you live somewhere warm,to be able to try out your repairs soon? I imagine the additive welding is the easy part. The shaping of the groove is where the real challenge is. Who knows, maybe the "Hobie design" shape can actually be improved, but it is probably best to stick to the original shape. --Keep us informed!!!