1989 oday rudder

[mike kesner]

My boat has been in drydock for four months.There is water dripping out of the bottom of the rudder .Does anyone know how the water is getting in? ..........In the four month period of drying out,there shouldn't be any sea water left in it.

 

[r.w.landau]

Helping it to drain

First, polyester resin including gel coat is not 100% waterproof. Epoxy is about 10x more water resistant.As for your rudder... it could be water infiltration through the gel coat, or a crack in the rudder or leakage where the shaft meets the rudder.It would have helped to drill a few holes into the bottom of the rudder to drain it. The faster it drains the fewer deposits it leaves. Then repair the the rudder and epoxy coat it using a barrier coat method.Before that is done, I would make sure that the rudder is solid on the shaft. If there is any play between the rudder and the shaft, I would be concerned as to it's integrity.At that point I would start looking for a new rudder.You have a lot invested in your boat and to jepardize it by repairing a failing rudder may not be the wisest thing to do.Hope this helpedr.w.landau

 

[Mike Kesner]

Thank You ! ............. r.w.landau

Thanks for the information.I had checked the rudder and the shaft, and found it to be solid. So I shall continue with your direction.Thanks again.