Keel and Rudder Repairs C27

[capt.canuck]

New project boat, the two issues that need my immediate attention are the rudder and keel.
The leading edge of the keel has a section peeling off, looks like delamination. Not sure the construction of these keels, is this just layers of paint/fairing or is this fiberglass peeling off? Once I grind this out to iron/lead would I fill with fairing and prime/paint or fill with fiberglass.
I'll remove the rudder to repair at home. Should I cut the whole side off this rudder with how bad it looks? I'm open to replacing the core if needed but unsure of how common these rudders fail like this.
Thanks for any advise.

 

[shemandr]

I'll leave the keel question to those who know Catalina 27's, assuming that's what the subject is.
Regarding the rudder it appears there is rusting going on. The most likely source is the mild steel frame inside the rudder. That would require opening the skin and inspecting the whole "Kit and caboodle" (A saying I heard joked about on the radio Friday). I would not be surprised to hear that it needs replacement.

 

[dmax]

I believe the Cat 27 has a lead keel - that looks like fairing and/or many layers of paint that is loose and coming off. Best solution would be to take the whole keel down to the lead and apply a new barrier coat immediately (while the lead is still shiny, can't let it oxidize) and re-paint. Short of that you might be able to get away with just removing the paint from problem areas. The rudder might be toast - likely water has been entering where the rudder stock enters the fiberglass. Older Catalinas had mild steel internally for the"flag" - as shemandr said, you're going to want to open it up and check it's condition. The fiberglass may have delaminated from the foam in areas as well. Foss Foam in Florida can build you a new one or possibly rebuild the existing one, just using the old rudder stock. First order of business is to drill some 1/2" holes along the bottom to let any trapped water drain out. You can seal the stock-to-fiberglass joint by carving out a bevel and filling it with 3M 5200.

 

[jssailem]

@shemandr and @dmax are spot on with the description of the materials and solutions.

If you are just into patching to make the boat sound for sailing, then the approach I would take on the keel is clean of the damaged area to a solid core and then shape/patch/fair and use a barrier coating to prevent water ingress. The type of damage shown in the keel picture leads me to suspect the keel hit something. You may find the lead to be deformed.

The rudder is more serious. As was shared Foss Foam is a good resource for a replacement. If you want to DIY then, check out Andy at Boatworks Today’s repair of a rudder for ideas.

Rebuilding A Foam Cored Rudder Part 1 | Boatworks Today

There will be more follow up videos showing the entire process start to finish. If you have any Q's please post them below! Thanks for watching :-)…

www.boatworkstoday.com

Good luck.

 

[capt.canuck]

Thanks for the info.
I have a small shop and am capable of welding most metals and fiberglassing. I was thinking of cutting one complete side off the rudder, removing the core and repairing properly myself. I just wasn't sure if these rudders required that much destructive investigation or if it was a common issue with an easy repair. I absolutely don't want to risk rudder failure.

 

[dmax]

I would start by just cutting a panel out of one side, a little aft of the rudder stock line and cut through the foam to inspect the condition of the flag. You may be able to clean up the mild steel and just replace the foam you cut out and patch the panel. Replacing all of the foam is considerably more work.