Hi all, while under sail in a strong breeze I recently noticed some "give" in the rudder mount and some cracks in the sealer around the top of the mount. Closer inspection revealed some cracks around one of the mount holes. I removed the bracket (the screws did not seem very tight) and scraped away some of the sealer that coated the underside:
Here is a closeup of the cracks around the upper left hole:
After removing the rest of the sealer, I see what appear to be plugs into the hull in which the screw holes have been made... is this a prior repair or is this how it was originally made? (We purchased this boat used 2 years ago). All six screw holes appear to have been repaired. I am not sure what the repair material is - epoxy or fiberglass maybe.
So how best to repair this? Try to inject epoxy into the crack? Has anyone had to repair a rudder mount like this? What is under the plastic skin in the rudder mount area?
Also, once the cracks are repaired, what is the best sealant to use under and around the edge of the bracket? I have some 3M 5200 marine adhesive sealant, will that work?
Thanks for any advice/thoughts...
--Mark
Here is a closeup of the cracks around the upper left hole:
After removing the rest of the sealer, I see what appear to be plugs into the hull in which the screw holes have been made... is this a prior repair or is this how it was originally made? (We purchased this boat used 2 years ago). All six screw holes appear to have been repaired. I am not sure what the repair material is - epoxy or fiberglass maybe.
So how best to repair this? Try to inject epoxy into the crack? Has anyone had to repair a rudder mount like this? What is under the plastic skin in the rudder mount area?
Also, once the cracks are repaired, what is the best sealant to use under and around the edge of the bracket? I have some 3M 5200 marine adhesive sealant, will that work?
Thanks for any advice/thoughts...
--Mark