Hi, we just had a 1986 28.5 surveyed and he found some water damage to the rudder. You can feel the soft spot towards the bottom portion of the rudder and we were wondering if anyone had some thoughts on this. Other than this we would like to purchase the boat. Has anyone had repairs made and what cost is associated. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
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J
Jack
Archives
Check the archives for rudder problems. I would just have the seller have the rudder fixed. This is a common problem with Foss Foam rudders. Foss is the manufacturer and supplies, supplied, rudders for many manufaturers of boats. You can get a new one from them if necessary. Price out a new one and have the cost deducted from the selling price. Good luck
Check the archives for rudder problems. I would just have the seller have the rudder fixed. This is a common problem with Foss Foam rudders. Foss is the manufacturer and supplies, supplied, rudders for many manufaturers of boats. You can get a new one from them if necessary. Price out a new one and have the cost deducted from the selling price. Good luck
B
Bil Thomas Feng Shui
Rudder Repair
Definately check the archives. I did the repairs on my 335 a couple of years ago (in the archives). Depending on the damage the repairs were about a quarter of the replacement cost of the rudder. If you do the repair makes sure that the ruder is dried completely. It can take a while after opening it up.
Definately check the archives. I did the repairs on my 335 a couple of years ago (in the archives). Depending on the damage the repairs were about a quarter of the replacement cost of the rudder. If you do the repair makes sure that the ruder is dried completely. It can take a while after opening it up.
T
Tim McCarty
I just repaired mine...
I actually worked with the guys from Gougeon Bros. (WEST Marine epoxy...). I believe the rudder is basically a steel frame, with a foam core, covered with polyester gel coat. All I did was drop the rudder, drill about 8-10 holes in the "bubble" or delamination, let the water drain out, let it dry for about 3 months,calmp it down, and filled it with 105 epoxy/206 hardner, fared it out, and repainted it with antifouling. I just put the rudder back on yesterday. Important, if the foam core is damaged (and you can see, once you drill the holes), you may need to re-glass, which is altogether another story. But, with a 28.5, I doubt if that would be the case. My boat is 20 years old. If you have someone do it, your talking anywhere from $700-1000.00 (at least that's what I've found). Lastly, see the archives, and, Foss Foam Rudders.
I actually worked with the guys from Gougeon Bros. (WEST Marine epoxy...). I believe the rudder is basically a steel frame, with a foam core, covered with polyester gel coat. All I did was drop the rudder, drill about 8-10 holes in the "bubble" or delamination, let the water drain out, let it dry for about 3 months,calmp it down, and filled it with 105 epoxy/206 hardner, fared it out, and repainted it with antifouling. I just put the rudder back on yesterday. Important, if the foam core is damaged (and you can see, once you drill the holes), you may need to re-glass, which is altogether another story. But, with a 28.5, I doubt if that would be the case. My boat is 20 years old. If you have someone do it, your talking anywhere from $700-1000.00 (at least that's what I've found). Lastly, see the archives, and, Foss Foam Rudders.
Get a quote on a new rudder.
I would get a price on a new rudder including installation. I would deduct this from the offered price. You can then try to repair it as an alternative. If that does not work then you will need to replace it.
I would get a price on a new rudder including installation. I would deduct this from the offered price. You can then try to repair it as an alternative. If that does not work then you will need to replace it.
B
Bob
Depends how bad
We purchased a 1987 Hunter 285 late last year. It's our first boat and it's been a learning experiance to say the least. But we got some good advice from our marina shop people. The rudder did indeed have some water in it as we found out from the survey. But I discovered that I couldn't pull the rudder after the boat was pulled for the winter because the stand was too short and I couldn't dig a hole under the rudder to get the clearance to pull it out. I talked to the marina about it and they came out to the boat to see how "wet" the rudder was and then suggested that I drill a few holes in the bottom to help drain some water out. Not that it would get rid of it all. That would require a re-build. Our marina guy said that it wasn't too bad and the rudder wasn't going to fall off this season or anything like that. He and our surveyer told us that a "wet" rudder on a 285 is almost common because of the connection to the rudder shaft which will allow water in after time. I intend to sail with the "wet" rudder this season but have it pulled when the boat is pulled out again for this winter. Then I'm going to take it home and I'll have all those cold dark months to work on it. There is lots of info on this site about it and from what I can tell it will cost me about $300 - $400 in materials to do the job. How hard can it be?! If I really screw it up then I'll buy a replacement but I'd rather keep the $1000+ in my pocket. If you're handy I'd say go for it.
We purchased a 1987 Hunter 285 late last year. It's our first boat and it's been a learning experiance to say the least. But we got some good advice from our marina shop people. The rudder did indeed have some water in it as we found out from the survey. But I discovered that I couldn't pull the rudder after the boat was pulled for the winter because the stand was too short and I couldn't dig a hole under the rudder to get the clearance to pull it out. I talked to the marina about it and they came out to the boat to see how "wet" the rudder was and then suggested that I drill a few holes in the bottom to help drain some water out. Not that it would get rid of it all. That would require a re-build. Our marina guy said that it wasn't too bad and the rudder wasn't going to fall off this season or anything like that. He and our surveyer told us that a "wet" rudder on a 285 is almost common because of the connection to the rudder shaft which will allow water in after time. I intend to sail with the "wet" rudder this season but have it pulled when the boat is pulled out again for this winter. Then I'm going to take it home and I'll have all those cold dark months to work on it. There is lots of info on this site about it and from what I can tell it will cost me about $300 - $400 in materials to do the job. How hard can it be?! If I really screw it up then I'll buy a replacement but I'd rather keep the $1000+ in my pocket. If you're handy I'd say go for it.
M
Mike Ross
Guest forum
Foss foam hosted a guest forum about a year ago, so I know there's some more info available. I had a 28.5 with the same problem with the rudder - several areas that had delaminated from the foam. It was easy to detect, you could see the bulges, and by tapping on it hear the hollow sound. The new owner had it surveyed, and included the price of a new rudder in his offer. I think it was around $1500. After buying the boat, he was able to easily repair the rudder. He drilled a lot of ~1/4" holes in the delaminated sections, then filled with epoxy. Then he used 2 sheets of plywood, one on each side of the rudder, and clamped it together with bolts on edges of the plywood. The following spring, I had the same problem with my new boat (H34). It had about a football sized area that was delaminated from the foam. I talked to the guys at Foss, they said the cause of the problem was probably heat. The rudder, painted dark blue is exposed to the sun all winter and the heat from the sun causes air to expand under the skin, delaminating it from the core. They recommend either painting the rudder white, or wrapping it with white plastic to minimize the effect of the sun. Anyway, they confirmed that drilling the holes and clamping is the correct repair, but when drilling the holes to inspect the foam core. It should still be a nice clean white. If its yellowed or discolored, its a sign that there was probably some water in the rudder and you might want to have it inspected. Sorry for the long winded post, hope this helps. Mike
Foss foam hosted a guest forum about a year ago, so I know there's some more info available. I had a 28.5 with the same problem with the rudder - several areas that had delaminated from the foam. It was easy to detect, you could see the bulges, and by tapping on it hear the hollow sound. The new owner had it surveyed, and included the price of a new rudder in his offer. I think it was around $1500. After buying the boat, he was able to easily repair the rudder. He drilled a lot of ~1/4" holes in the delaminated sections, then filled with epoxy. Then he used 2 sheets of plywood, one on each side of the rudder, and clamped it together with bolts on edges of the plywood. The following spring, I had the same problem with my new boat (H34). It had about a football sized area that was delaminated from the foam. I talked to the guys at Foss, they said the cause of the problem was probably heat. The rudder, painted dark blue is exposed to the sun all winter and the heat from the sun causes air to expand under the skin, delaminating it from the core. They recommend either painting the rudder white, or wrapping it with white plastic to minimize the effect of the sun. Anyway, they confirmed that drilling the holes and clamping is the correct repair, but when drilling the holes to inspect the foam core. It should still be a nice clean white. If its yellowed or discolored, its a sign that there was probably some water in the rudder and you might want to have it inspected. Sorry for the long winded post, hope this helps. Mike
J
j. geiger
just replaced rudder
I just bought new rudder from Foss Form products in FL. orginal suppler of Hunter Cost $804.00! including shipping.
I just bought new rudder from Foss Form products in FL. orginal suppler of Hunter Cost $804.00! including shipping.
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