Water in rudder?

[xavpil]

Hello friends
While my boat is on dry land I noticed a brownish color on the rudder that could be water run.
There is also what could be a crack at the top.
“could be” because it’s a 1989 cat 27 and the rudder isn’t new so it is hard to tell

Can / should I drill small drain holes at the bottom?
thx

 

[shemandr]

It can't hurt. I remain skeptical that drain holes work to dry a wet rudder but you may get some water out. And the holes don't have to be tiny. A reasonable size to repair is the limiting concern. If you get rust in the water that's not good. Collect some of the water to look for rust. The color of the breakdown byproduct of the foam may be brown too. It would be good to be able to distinguish.

 

[dmax]

To add to what Shemandr said: in 1989, Catalina used a stainless steel rudder post but they welded a carbon steel "flag" to it inside the fiberglass portion so the post grips the fiberglass better. If water enters, the flag can rust - possibly to the point that the post would spin inside the fiberglass under stress. Water can enter the rudder through the hole at the top of the post (rainwater), through the joint where the post enters the fiberglass or through cracks. Best solution would be to drill some holes at the bottom (1/2") and drain out any water - let it drain for as long as you can. Then knock all around the fiberglass to see if the glass is separating from the internal foam (should feel solid, not hollow). Any separation should be repaired with new fiberglass. You will want to dig out a bevel where the post enters the fiberglass and fill the bevel with 3M 5200 to form a ring around the post to prevent water from entering. Spray foam into the top of the rudder post to keep rainwater out. Fix any cracks in the fiberglass.
Or, you can buy a new rudder from Foss Foam in Florida, they made the originals. That's what I did for peace of mind.

 

[xavpil]

It can't hurt. I remain skeptical that drain holes work to dry a wet rudder but you may get some water out. And the holes don't have to be tiny. A reasonable size to repair is the limiting concern. If you get rust in the water that's not good. Collect some of the water to look for rust. The color of the breakdown byproduct of the foam may be brown too. It would be good to be able to distinguish.

thx!

 

[xavpil]

To add to what Shemandr said: in 1989, Catalina used a stainless steel rudder post but they welded a carbon steel "flag" to it inside the fiberglass portion so the post grips the fiberglass better. If water enters, the flag can rust - possibly to the point that the post would spin inside the fiberglass under stress. Water can enter the rudder through the hole at the top of the post (rainwater), through the joint where the post enters the fiberglass or through cracks. Best solution would be to drill some holes at the bottom (1/2") and drain out any water - let it drain for as long as you can. Then knock all around the fiberglass to see if the glass is separating from the internal foam (should feel solid, not hollow). Any separation should be repaired with new fiberglass. You will want to dig out a bevel where the post enters the fiberglass and fill the bevel with 3M 5200 to form a ring around the post to prevent water from entering. Spray foam into the top of the rudder post to keep rainwater out. Fix any cracks in the fiberglass.
Or, you can buy a new rudder from Foss Foam in Florida, they made the originals. That's what I did for peace of mind.

Really helpful as well.
I'll still have to read a few times to understand all the steps/terminology but I get the gist of it
Thx!!

 

[jon hansen]

a skilled yard worker once told me that 85% of all older boats have water in their rudders. in fresh water, rust is not as big a deal. freezing over the winter will cause issues. draining before winter storage would then be good. the frame of my rudder is bronze, covered in foam and fiberglass.

i have a drain plug installed on my rudder. t open it every haul out. get a few spoon fulls of water out each year on my 58 yr old boat. i also store inside in heated area. for a good reason. the price of heated has saved me money over the 50 yrs i've had the boat, i truly believe.

boats in sturgeon bay.

 

[dmax]

Really helpful as well.
I'll still have to read a few times to understand all the steps/terminology but I get the gist of it
Thx!!

Keep asking questions if you got 'em - lots of experience in this crowd.

 

[jon hansen]

keeping the water tight seal between the rudder shaft and the rudder over time is near impossible in the long run.

just my $0.02

 

[jdrutten]

Last fall I drilled two 1/4" holes, one on either side of my rudder, and found water which ran out in a stream on the port side. After leaving it open over the winter, I returned a few weeks ago to find that the port hole was still wet, but not dripping. So I awkwardly drilled another hole at the very bottom and stuffed some rolled up paper towel wicks into the holes which were quickly saturated. I returned a few days later to find the wicks mostly dry, but still slightly damp near the base of the hole. It's probably not ideal, but I'm optimistic that it will be dry enough to fill the holes with epoxy before touching up with paint before launch. Well, I would be optimistic except that the marina is currently closed due to flooding from the winter thaw and water level is rising in the parking lot. The launch schedule has been delayed by two weeks so I'm choosing to look on the bright side and maybe that will give me more time to dry out.

 

[east coaster]

If you can get your hands on a vacuum pump, it will help a lot in water removal. It's what the pros use.

 

[Dalliance]

I discovered water dripping out of the bottom of my rudder once about 5 or 6 years ago and now routinely drill a small hole in the bottom after autumn haul out. I’ve found that the rudder drains faster when I also drill a small hole near the top of the rudder. Both are filled with thickened epoxy in the spring before launch.