Possible water in rudder

[Canonshooternb]

I have just taken my 1991 Hunter 35.5 legend out of the water over the weekend. on closer inspection it looks like i have a wet spot on the lower part of my rudder. I know most if not all rudders do have moisture but wondering if these needs maintenance.
I did see on a neighbours boat that he had drilled a small hole in the side of the rudder up about 4" from the bottom . He had then installed a SS fitting and drain plug that he removes during winter. I watched when he roved the plug and about a cup of water came out.

Thoughts on this idea ?
Has anyone tried this with this model of boat ?

Cheers

 

[walmsleyc]

I had installed a drain in my rudder. It always dripped until the temperature went below zero. Probably leaked in around where the shaft enters the rudder at the top. I didn't have clear evidence of other places where water was entering. As long as your drain hole seals well for the summer, it's got to be an improvement over leaving the water in the rudder (where it will freeze, expand, let in more water next season, and slowly cause damage). My water leakage was brown, and I became concerned, and eventually replaced my rudder.

In the end, upon destructive inspection, the bottom 25-30% of the interior was quite water logged. It didn't appear that other areas of the rudder/foam were damaged or degraded in any way.

While you can't tell too much from the outside (unless you see freeze/expansion cracks), but in the end, my rudder would probably have lasted many more years. The failure might have been the bottom breaking off from accumulated water damage (corrosion of the inner structure, delaminating, foam saturation).

One other possible test: Expose the top of the rudder shaft/quadrant. Grab the quadrant and push/pull to see if it moves up or down. If it moved "up", then your rudder is negatively buoyant. If it moved down, then it is positively buoyant. Before replacement, my was negatively buoyant, maybe by 10-15 lbs. The new rudder is positively buoyant, and floats easily. Because of this, I have a new metric for monitoring for future water intrusion .... when it no longer floats, it has absorbed water!

On a similar note, upon receiving my new rudder, I immediately removed the factory caulking around the shaft, and with a dremel, enlarged the space/cavity for the caulking. I made sure there was lots of room for caulking and that it could bond well to the SS shaft. This is where there would be flex, and if I ground the rudder, this is the area that would most likely open up to allow some water ingress (aside from fully damaging the bottom on a rock!). This is a fix you could do to an existing rudder by dropping it ~6 inches and working on it.

Cheers
Chris

 

[Canonshooternb]

What kind or style of drain plug did you install ? Do you know if all the Hunter rudders are made the same ?

 

[walmsleyc]

What kind or style of drain plug did you install ? Do you know if all the Hunter rudders are made the same ?

I used some S.S.threaded inserts. They have to have flush faces so an o-ring on the bolt/plug makes a water tight seal. The tricky part is to drill clean, and dry out the bottom of the rudder enough to be able to epoxy (or whatever adhesive you like) the insert in place while still have it open to the foam at the inside end of the insert. After that, you've got a nice SS bolt and 0-ring arrangement that is easy to remove and re-install.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

The easy part is installing a drain fitting. The hard part is making sure no water remains to freeze in the winter. Simply installing a drain in a foam filled rudder may not effectively eliminate water which may have permeated throughout the structure.

 

[Canonshooternb]

Suggestions on where to get a stainless steel drain plug ?

 

[jssailem]

DRAIN PLUGS R US?
Check a machine shop or a Hydraulic Hose shop. May even find one at the Big Box Store.
In Everett Washington we have a shop with all types of fasteners Champion Bolt & Supply, Everett, WA.

 

[shemandr]

Rudders can and do break off. I was on a Tartan 33 on which that happened. Very hard to steer. Even harder to control. I seriously thought I might have an MI from trimming the jib back and forth as we tacked and jibed our way. Because of my Beta Blockers I was fatigued. Don't let this happen to you! Those wet rudders are a liability. The steel frame (Usually not stainless), and the welds (Seldom casted frames) are vulnerable to failure. So if losing control of your sailboat is OK with you ignore those wet rudders. Those drains are pretty much useless in my view. I've posted before that a friend of mine put his rudder in an oven for an extended time (Weeks) and still did not get it dry. I submit that it would take years to dry a rudder with drain holes. Flame suit on.

 

[MitchM]

on old boats i've often seen rudder weep after oats are hauled out. the liquid is a vinegary brownish liquid which means the foam core is wet and delaminating from the steel ribs. (yes, i've tasted it.) best to think about some rudder surgery and new foam. good old boat has some rudder fix ideas but it's a demanding job.

 

[BrianRobin]

Gets pretty cold in Shediac this time of year, hope you get it drained. I looked at a 35.5 Legend over there a couple of years back "On the Rocks", beautiful boat!

 

[Canonshooternb]

It sure does, I have chatted with the owner of that boat on this site earlier. Shes a great boat.. I think I am leaning towards dropping the rudder and doing some maintenance over the winter. Might have to do a little digging below in order to be able to lower it enough.

 

[MetricMountie]

Dropping the rudder and cutting it open is the only way to cure your water problem, I know because I've done it . There's a great three part video on how to go about this job, I'll find it and send you the link from UTube. I hope the ground under the boat is good digging because your going to need a lot of room to drop that rudder as the post is long.

 

[MetricMountie]

The U Tube channel is Boat Works Today. its a three part video which takes you through all the steps.

 

[Canonshooternb]

Ok Perfect, I will watch it tomorrow morning over coffee

 

[sailme88]

aah for the days of solid wood and even solid glass rudders....

 

[jssailem]

the days of solid wood

They were not so great. I remember the tedious cleaning up the dings that appeared at random times and always when I was thinking about maximizing the speed. I’d smooth and reshape removing the offending ding while reducing the size of the rudder like I was sharpening a pencil. Then the endless epoxy and varnish applications. Eventually, I had to find a new wooden rudder and the dance began again.

Yes those were the good old days.