The rudder on my Hunter 260 (2001) has a long thin crack the entire length of the front edge. I'm getting ready to do repairs before the ice goes out and I was hoping someone might have instructions they'd be willing to share. I understand this is a well documented issue. Pictures would be helpful. Thanks. Tim
fix rudder on hunter 260
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Lots in the archives
Tim, I have no direct experience with this repair, but there is a ton of info in the archives on this site. I would suggest an ARCHIVE search with keywords rudder repair. The link below should take you to an interesting thread on the subject.
Tim, I have no direct experience with this repair, but there is a ton of info in the archives on this site. I would suggest an ARCHIVE search with keywords rudder repair. The link below should take you to an interesting thread on the subject.
H260 Rudder
Hunter is pretty good about fixing the rudder if the boat is still under warranty. I'm on my third one. However, I've concluded that the best way to go is to just trash the whole thing and buy one of the IDASailor rudders. It is a solid material and is getting good reviews. That said, it is a simple matter to seal and glass the leading and aft edges when this type of crackiing occurs IF you do it before it gets too bad. You can pick up a small glass kit at auto supply stores. They come with instructions. The rudder undergoes a tremendous amount of torque on the edges causing the splits. I had one snap in half.
Hunter is pretty good about fixing the rudder if the boat is still under warranty. I'm on my third one. However, I've concluded that the best way to go is to just trash the whole thing and buy one of the IDASailor rudders. It is a solid material and is getting good reviews. That said, it is a simple matter to seal and glass the leading and aft edges when this type of crackiing occurs IF you do it before it gets too bad. You can pick up a small glass kit at auto supply stores. They come with instructions. The rudder undergoes a tremendous amount of torque on the edges causing the splits. I had one snap in half.
Rudder
My rudder cracked when a car backed into it while on the trailer. I replaced it with a rudder from Ida Sailor. You can order from this site. I'm going on my second season with it. It's a great product and you never have to worry about water intrusion because it is one solide piece. It is also much cheaper than a replacement rudder from foss foam. If Hunter is not going to cover your rudder under warranty I'd replace it with the Ida Sailor rudder.
My rudder cracked when a car backed into it while on the trailer. I replaced it with a rudder from Ida Sailor. You can order from this site. I'm going on my second season with it. It's a great product and you never have to worry about water intrusion because it is one solide piece. It is also much cheaper than a replacement rudder from foss foam. If Hunter is not going to cover your rudder under warranty I'd replace it with the Ida Sailor rudder.
General advice...
Assuming the rudder hasn't structurally failed, get the rudder in the house, drill a couple of small weep holes in the bottom and prop it up for a month to let it dry out. After that time, dremel out the leading and trailing edges and fill with marine tex, sand and paint-don't forget to fill the weep holes.
Assuming the rudder hasn't structurally failed, get the rudder in the house, drill a couple of small weep holes in the bottom and prop it up for a month to let it dry out. After that time, dremel out the leading and trailing edges and fill with marine tex, sand and paint-don't forget to fill the weep holes.
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