I just finished prepping the rudderbox for final assembly. Since the box is in the water a good deal, I drilled oversized holes for the screws holding the gudgeon and pintels, filled with epoxy filler, the redrilled to the proper size. This will effectively "insulate" the wood of the box and sternpost from water and prevent rot. How anal are builders when attaching parts (fairleads, cleats etc.) ABOVE the waterline? Drill oversize and fill with epoxy, or just drill and use locktite or cyano glue in the hole, or back the part with 3M 4200?
Dave
Locktite or cyanoacrylate in a raw wood hole will not do much. I suspect most people don't bond their fasteners until they experience some rot, they they start bonding everything like most experienced builders. Locktite or cyanoacrylate in a bonded hole would be effective, though of questionable rational, compared to a good bedding under the attached part. 3M 4200 is a good glue/sealant, but if you have bonded fasteners, you just need a sealant, so I'd recommend 3M 101, which has much less grip and better sealing qualities.
The biggest problem I see with gudgeon fittings is they don't have enough "bury" in the boat. I prefer to through bolt when ever possible, but some designs don't permit this. In this case you need lots of bury and the 3:1 rule applies for more things. 3 times the fastener depth to the thickness of the planking. So, if you are attaching to a 1/2" plank, there should be a minimum of 1.5" of thread in the boat, which usually requires a backing block, though in Weekender's case, the lower gudgeon is a bit of deadwood, so bury it as far as you can without punching through the other side. Sailing loads are moderate, but back this rudder box into a dock, other boat, beach, etc. and you'll increase stress by 10+ times (no kidding), so dog it down good.