25.5 Rudder. Repair or replace

[bootyhunter]

Recently bought a 25.5 for a price too good to turn down. The rudder seems to have had a shoty repair done. I'm worried because of its size that that a repair may not be enough? The bottom mounting plate shows a crack that seems to be just siliconed. Strip down and reglass or replace?

 

[jimfrankelly]

Rudder Repair Decision

Recently bought a 25.5 for a price too good to turn down. The rudder seems to have had a shoty repair done. I'm worried because of its size that that a repair may not be enough? The bottom mounting plate shows a crack that seems to be just siliconed. Strip down and reglass or replace?

You have the off season to attempt to repair the rudder so I would try that first. There might be a relatively thick layer of barrier coating on the rudder in addition to gelcoat, and the crack might only be in these layers. If you can get access to an infra red camera (e.g. through a local boat surveyor) that might tell you if there is a moisture problem in the rudder that is serious & possibly beyond repair. If the rudder core is still relatively dry, relatively inexpensive repairs might do the job.