Rudder needs repair

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Nov 26, 2007
6
Catalina Capri 22 253 Narragansett Bay, Cranston RI
I recently bought this Call 33 and most recently had it put on the hard for the winter. My rudder has a few spots that seem to be "bleeding." There are a few spots that look like rusty blisters and seems to be bleedding water. The rest of the rudder is in excellent shape as is the hull. My first thoutht is to drill a hole in the bottom and let the water drain out. What should I do next? Grind the spots and fill with ??

Thanks for all replies
Wayne
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Definitely drill and drain. If it IS rust then you need to determine just how much damage has been inflicted to the rudder core. There are others here who doubtless have delt with this problem and have better knowledge than I . Some rudders are/were built with low alloy steel cores/mandrils.
 
Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
As Ross said, you need to investigate and see how much damage has been done to the rudder stock and webbing. Chances are pretty good that they're rusting and will need to be repaired.
 
Dec 3, 2003
544
None None Rochester, NY
I had my rudder repaired by Foss Foam
They are in Florida and did a great job. There was a SNAFU when they shipped my rudder to another customer and shipped his rudder to me, but the Foss Foam people straightened it out quickly.
 

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
My prior L25 had the same problem. It may be too late, given current weather, but I would certainly advise you drill at least a few holes, through the rusty areas, to allow the water a place to go. Otherwise it is quite likely that your rudder will literally start to split in half. Mine did the one year I failed to make drain holes.

I had a heck of a time trying to figure out where the water was coming from, one obvious and easy place to address is to seal around the juncture of the rudder post and the fiberglass at the top of the rudder with a high quality silicone sealant. I could literally watch water run down the post to the top of the rudder and that junction is a ready access point to the rudders interior.

I also suspected that water was condensing on both the outside and inside of the hollow rudder post. Perhaps others can provide more in depth experience with this, but had I kept that boat, I would have considered filling the rudder post with epoxy or closed cell foam to slow that. The thought behind this is that, in cold waters, the rudder is submerged in 60-ish degree water causing condensation.

You may wish to contact Foss, in any case, as it is possible that they made your rudder for Cal, or that they are familiar with its composition. It is critical that you understand how the torque is transferred. Ideally is should be something similar to a stainless plate that is welded to the post along a long length. Non-ideally it is a few lengths of stainless tube or post welded to the rudder post like fingers. Those fingers can rust and snap off leaving your post spinning in your rudder. It is certainly doable to repair your rudder rather than go to Foss, but I wouldn't give any credence to recommendations of a drill and fill approach (drilling your rudder like swiss cheese, drying it and filling the holes). Pull the rudder, cut a large window in one side and dissect it. Plan on replacing all the foam with new closed cell foam and having any necessary welding done (I liked the flat plate that Lancer used with a hole in the center for weight reduction...that way the entire length of the plate is welded to the post...I'd ask Foss if they could do that if they were making one for me), then restoring the skin. Once you consider all that work, plus the fact that the rudder post may be questionable, Foss Foam's price will probably look pretty reasonable (about $2-3k).
 

Gary_H

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Nov 5, 2007
469
Cal 2-25 Carolina Beach NC
I got an estimate for a new rudder from Foss for my Cal 25 last year. it was about $1,100.00 I didn't concider that too bad for a whole new rig. I suppose it would be somewhat more for a Cal 33.
 
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