Busted rudder

[Bob Cronin]

Hi all
The rudder on my beloved C&C 24 broke off at the water line (18 months I paid a boat works $475 to fix a crack). I am looking for a new one or plans to rebuild it. It was my own damn fault I wrestled with it using too much force in heavy wind - I should have spilled wind - The crack I paid to have fixed was due to water getting into the hollow of the rudder - freezing and expanding. The new shop I brought the broken off piece to say that there should not have been any hollow spots in the rudder - I recommend shaking the rudder back and forth after fall haul out and listening for a slosh of water. The place that 'fixed' the rudder 18 months ago did put in a flange with a drain bolt.

Anyway - I called South Shore in Ontario - they want $2900 for a new rudder - so if anyone knows of rudder or where I can get specifications - they are not in the owner's manual I down loaded (for $25) - The sailing season in Maine is short - please hurry.

Bob Cronin

 

[Warren Milberg]

Years ago when I owned a C&C 24 (a great sailing boat!) I happened to notice a "dent" at the top of the rudder above where the tiller straps attach to it. Scaping the dent resulted in me discovering, much to my horror, that the top 12 inches or so inside of the rudder was mush. Water had gotten in and just about destroyed that part of the rudder. I was able to scoop out most of the mush, dry out the hollow with a heat gun, and then fill it with West System epoxy and filler. I also drilled a pattern of small diameter holes in the sides of the rudder hear where I thought there might be inside damage and injected more epoxy into the holes. Finally, a fiberglass-taped around the rudder in 3 places. I have no doubt that had I not discovered this problem the rudder would have broken off.

If you have both parts of your rudder you should be able to make a template. I'd call Ida Sailor and ask them for a quote. If that doesn't work, I think it would not be very difficult to make your own rudder from your template as the design is relatively simple. I think I'd laminate some marine plywood or mahoghany, cut, shape, and sand the outline, and then encase the whole thing in epoxy. Good luck with this.

 

[anchorclanker]

How hard would it be to make a new one? Isnt it just fiberglass over wood?