Rudder Filling With Water

[Cole07]

I've had my 1971 O'day Daysailer II for about 2 1/2 years now and finally got some good usage out of it this summer. The sailing season is pretty much over for me and the boat is back in my driveway and I wanted to see what information I can get about my rudder now that I have time to address the problem. The rudder is in pretty good condition and works well for what I need it to do, but when I take it out of the water it weighs twice as much and I have to pour water out of it. I ignored this the first few times it happened and just left the rudder on the dock to drain out, but I eventually realized this could end up rotting out my whole rudder. I took a look at the area where the water comes out of and noticed there was a crack in it about 10 inches long above the pivot point. It is positioned where the crack isn't visible when the rudder is all the way down and is under the stationary part of the rudder that hooks onto the back of the boat. The crack is only visible when the rudder is all the way up. I'm not very familiar with the materials that make up the rudder, but I was wondering if anyone has had this problem and if there is an easy fix. Can I just do a simple repair? Should I just ignore the problem and continue to drain the rudder? Or is this something that isn't plausible to repair and I should just try to find a replacement?

 

[sail sfbay]

Suggest repairing it. You might find these links on repairing rudders helpful.

How to use epoxy to fix the rudder of a sailing yacht - Epoxycraft

West System International Technical guru David Johnson explains how to fix a rudder that’s taking in water.

epoxycraft.com

How to Repair and Restore a Rudder

Rudders damage easily. Although they work similar to a keel, they aren’t nearly as tough. If you dry sail, the edges can accumulate nicks and dings in the fiberglass from loading and unloadin…

stingysailor.com

 

[dlochner]

It can be repaired. Rudders are typically in 2 halves. The crack you see is the seam. The rudder is probably filled with foam to add strength.

The first step should be drying the rudder. With the rudder hanging in a vertical position drill a couple of 3/16" test holes towards the bottom of the rudder. Just break the skin and go in about ½ the rudder thickness. The tailings will reveal how wet the rudder is and allow some of the water to drain.

Hang the rudder in a nice warm spot for the winter and let the water drain and dry the rudder out. Come spring it will be time repair the now dry rudder.

 

[Dave Groshong]

You may be able to repair it, and get a season or 2, but in my experience it is a lost battle once a rudder is water logged:

Model-Specific Rudders

Model-Specific Rudders

shop.odayowners.com

 

[Hunter216]

Here is an old link that might help determine the construction of the rudder.

Daysailer II rudder

I just purchased a 1972 Daysailer II. Everything about the boat is original and in good condition. The rudder has me stumped. Isn't the rudder supposed to pivot for shallow water operation? Mine is stuck in the fully 'down' position. There is only one bolt holding the metal blade into the...

forums.sailboatowners.com

I think it’s likely FRP sandwich construction so somewhat challenging to repair if the “core” is foam that has been saturated and possibly delaminated from the outer FRP “skin”. The sandwich looses strength if the layers are not “stuck” together. You wouldn’t know if it’s delaminated without cutting it open which in itself would likely cause delamination

@dlochner provides good advice about getting the core dry, sometimes putting a vacuum on the holes and or the crack can help.

Perhaps you already have FRP skills, if not you might want to gain some by trying to repair this blade, use it as a model to build a new one or just purchase a replacement as @Dave Groshong suggests. You have all winter to decide what path is right for you

 

[Jackdaw]

Whatever you choose to do, keep the rudder inside and warn until it totally dries. Exposing to a good NY freeze will split it further.