Rudder Damage

[awoody]

Had some damage to the rudder this summer (H26). The repair shop says $650.00. Seems like a bit much. I guess I need to learn how to do a little fiberglass repair. Any suggestions or guidance will be appreciated.

 

[Dan Hill]

West System with filler material, did my Mac 22 rudder a few years back with good results.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/

 

[Steve Dion]

Have you considered a new rudder from the SBO store?

 

[awoody]

I will consider a new rudder if the cost of fixing this one is too high. Several in the forum seem to like a certain rudder replacement. The Cost is about $950.

 

[Ken Prichard]

If you decide to go new check out these guys:
http://www.idasailor.com/catalog/default.php
IMHO it's the best you can get and is priced comparably.

 

[WTA]

If the photos show all of the damage, then this is should be an easy do it yourself fiberglass project. Clean up the damaged area with some sanding and scraping, be sure to remove all of the bottom paint as it will effect how well your epoxy holds. Then get some filler to form the edge back up, epoxy putty would work. Once that sets up, i would use some resin and cloth over the outside for a good waterproof bond to the rest of the rudder. A little finishing sand paper and some fresh paint and you are back in business. I would say less than $100 of material depending on how much resin you run through.

Good Luck

 

[shemandr]

Isn't it wet in the core of the rudder? I can't make out from the photo if the damage goes through the skin. If its wet I would want to dry it before repair.

 

[awoody]

The damage does go through the skin. How does one dry the core?

 

[kloudie1]

FIRST.. take a sheet of cardboard and lay the rudder on it and trace what the tip profile is/ was... Take a drill and going in from the bottom, drill through the damage and drill out the wet stuff, leaving the skin intact as much as possible, creating a void where the wet core used to be. (the void may be a few inches deep) Let that dry by keeping it warm and in a place of low humidity..You can help it along with a hair dryer applied to the hole and the outer skin in the area. Might take a couple of weeks.. From here, ya need to make a few insert pieces of foam and glue them in the dry hole with epoxy, filling the cavity around the foam. When they are dry, shape the exposed foam to the template and cover with some heavy glass mat and epoxy, then a layer of fine glass mat and epoxy.. overlap about 2-3 inches onto the sanded skin all around.. sand smooth and paint.. The Gougeon Brothers books on fiberglass repair available at West Marine and other places will have some suggestions on doing this too.
WTA covered it pretty well ..

 

[George H260]

This is a minor boo-boo easily fixed. The rudder has a thin fiberglass shell that is easily broken.

Not sure what your sailing season is, but placing it tip down in a warm dry place for a couple of months should be enough to dry it out. I would not try to repair it until you are sure the moisture is gone. Running a portable heater under it for while might speed up the process.

Surveyers use a moisture meter to check for water - maybe you can borrow one. Or try a plant moisture meter. You can get them at any place where they sell indoor plants. The core is soft and the probe will sink in easily.

I've repaired my rudder a couple of times and it's easy to do as described above.

The long term fix is to get an IdaSailor rudder as mentioned by kiprichard. Check the H26 knowledgebase article by Pat Adam on his rudder replacement project. Go here: http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=6410&Itemid=257

Tip: These rudders flex and get cracks that allow water in. The best thing is to pull the rudder out of the water when in the slip or on a mooring and keep an eye out for stress cracks and fix them quickly.