Help, my rudder has split

[Rick Webb]

Getting It Up

If there were a better way to raise the rudder the weight would seem to be a good idea. Maybe too late for this addition but if there were an eye or somthing at the bottom to attach a line to pull it back up it would be wonderful even without the additional weight. It would seem like the time to put one on is while it is being retrofitted anyway.

 

[Brigg Franklin]

Adding glass

Friday, Willie at Schooner Creek Boat Works added three layers of glass over the lead/epoxie filled bottom of the rudder, (see picture). Monday they will sand and then repaint the bottom of the rudder to finish the project. I'm very impressed with the quality of their work.Does anyone have the weight of the rudder as it comes from the factory? In my rush to get the rudder fixed and back on the boat I didn't weigh it first.Rick, there is already a hole in the solid trailing edge of my rudder, to attach a line to pull the rudder to the up position. I want to replace the braided polyester with a much thinner stainless braided wire with a handle to pull the rudder up and secure it for trailering. The polyester floats and I am worried about it getting into the outboard prop when I back out of the slip in reverse with the rudder over to starboard.Do the projects ever end? (I hope not!)Brigg

 

[Rick Webb]

I Was Thinking on the Bottom

Mine will float up to half way without any problem but I have not found an easier way than using the boat hook to bring it up out of the water. I was thinking that an eye or a ring of some sort at the bottom of the rudder that a snap hook could attach to would make it a whole lot easier to get it all the way up.

 

[Jonathan Costello]

I use a boat hook too

I found in the archives where someone attached a block on the rudder where the out haul line was connected and created a 2:1 purchase. I did it and it certainly helps get the rudder out of the water but due to the location of the hole you can only get it to a certain point and thats it, Period. From there you have to use a boat hook. If you put your hole lower down on the rudder while it is being rebuilt you could increase your leverage.

 

[Bob Fliegel]

How's The Rudder!

Brigg, how's the rudder repair comming along. This past weekend I looked at the bottom of my rudder and I noticed a similar split, much smaller though - about 2 inches, starting to form.Boy these rudders are really crap!I am fabricating a piece of molded plastic which I will "3M 5200" in place to patch the crack and give more protection to this area.I look forward to us sharing pictures.Regards, Bob

 

[Doug Nowell]

Question from the UK

My 240 rudder appears to be intact but has stopped floating when we've been sailing for a couple of hours. The local boatyard suggest that I leave the repair until next winter - do you agree? Am I doing any harm by leaving it until then?

 

[Rick Webb]

Here is an Idea

Maybe a lousy one, but if a pintle were attached to the trailing edge of the rudder near the bottom it would make a convenient spot to get a line across to drag up the rudder or to grab ahold with the boat hook.

 

[Brigg Franklin]

Rudder repairs & mods done

The rudder is finished and back home. It now weighs 31 pounds, and most of that is in the bottom, complete with a brass skid strap under the finish. (Does anyone know what the rudder weighs from the factory?I'm trying to decide if I want to remove the antifouling blue paint from the rudder or replace it. Is the antifouling paint put on at the factory and if so does anyone know what kind and brand it is (see photo)? As much as I handle my rudder and the boat sits on the trailer, I'm feeling not having the antifouling paint on it would be healthier for me. However I know that antifoul paint is expensive and I hate to waste it. I would also have to re-gel coat the repaired area as the color is slightly different. They finished the surface with Durateck, a vinylester (sp?). Will Gel coat stick to this?I take the boat out again on the 28th and will report on the new rudder characteristics, hauling it down, up and steering.Brigg

 

[Runwolf]

Major Crack

I had a big crack at the top end of the rudder and realize that the filling inside was all cracked in small pieces. As was afraid of having a major weekness in the top end of the rudder that would have lead to an horizontal rupture.So here is what I did, I took it inside the house for a whole winter to let it dry and then in late spring I opened up the top of the rudder and took off as much filling as I could, so all the looses pieces plus a bit more. Then using a drill and a 1'+ extention I drill down a couple 1 foot+ hole verticaly going toward the bottom of the rudder (About 1/2" size hole). I then drilled small hole 1/8 horizontaly(45 degree angle) at the botton of the 1/2 hole to allow complete filling.Using Inductrial epoxy (The kind they use to stick big compressor engine to the ground, it is more liquid then regular epoxy and I was told stronger. It comes by the galons) I poored it in until all air was out. It as been a few year and my rudder is stronger then even and no more crack into it, even after a few winter.I dont know if this is the best solution, but that did work for me.dave

 

[Brigg Franklin]

Doug from UK

Doug, your rudder stops floating because it is taking on water. I wouldn't wait until next winter (and I didn't) because water in the inter is going to cause trouble, (swelling, rot, slime growth, etc). The cost will be less now than it will be when you have to replace most or all of the rudder later. If you are not handy with fiberglass, like I'm not, take it to a good boat yard and they can do it in a couple days. Should not cost more than a couple hundred (US) dollers.That's just my opinion.Brigg

 

[Brigg Franklin]

Disappointing rudder quality

I'm now in the final stages of this rudder repair job, and I have to say I'm very disappointed in the quality of the factory construction of the rudder. After sanding off the blue bottom paint, this evening, I have found that the gel coat applied at the factory was not even sprayed on the leading and trailing edges of the rudder. Also I have found another crack in the seam of the rudder shell, at the top of the rudder (see photo). I will be applying a new gel coat tomorrow and will wait and see what develops with the new crack. This weekend I will be taking the boat up to Yale reservoir and will see how the rudder floats, or sinks. If I didn't already have $250. in rebuild costs and believe the added lead weight will improve the rudder performance, I believe I'd be on the phone to Hunter to get a new rudder. we'll see this weekend.Rick Webb, in my 260 rudder their is already a hole built into the trailing edge, with a line through it to retrieve the rudder. The trailing edge is solid glass and epoxie, no foam, so if you don't have this hole you might think about drilling one yourself.Brigg

 

[Larry]

How to properly drill hole in trailing edge

What is proper way to drill hole in trailing edge of bottom of rudder on 240? The water next to my pier is very shallow, and I must raise rudder to get in and out. Rudder is very difficult to raise and I would like to put hole in trailing edge at bottom to increase grip and mechanical advantage using hook which slips off of bare rudder. Will hole allow water to damage core? How large a hole and where. Thanks.

 

[Brigg Franklin]

successful project and rudder hole

The rudder repair and adding of three pounds of lead shot and a brass skid strap were a success..:^) I hope to find out the weight of the factory rudder tomorrow when I visit my dealer's boat yard, so I can see the total weight we added.The rudder still floats, but much lower in the water and pulls down very nicely. I had the 260 at the lake last weekend and hauled the rudder up and down many times to be sure it still floated and I could submerge it with much less strain on me. I used the CL257 Auto-Release Clamcleat, I bought last winter at WM, bolted on the tiller to hold the rudder in the down position while motoring and sailing with no problems. I did replace the stock 5/8" rudder line with a 1/4" line to fit the cleat. Since it is so much easier to hual the rudder up and down the smaller line works great. I'll put up all the pictures of the project here on the project page next weekend.Larry- I don't know if the 240 rudder is the same as the 260 rudder but here is a picture of the hole in the 260 rudder. It is about halfway down the rudder, an inch from the edge and a half inch in diameter. I would epoxie in the inside of the hole after drilling it. The 260 rudder is solid glass and epoxie at this place since it is quite thin. You might want to drill a small pilot hole first to be sure of what is inside, so it could be easily filled in if needed.Remember to change all your Email addressed for your friends that lived on the attbi cable that is now managed by Comcast.netBrigg