rudder question

[dobermanct_dave]

Hi all-

I'm working on refinishing the bottom of my Vega, and uncovered
something troubling when I sanded all of the old paint off of the
rudder. There is some evidence that in the past the rudder may have
bumped the bottom. A smallish divot is missing from the back of the
glass, and there is evidence that on the port side near the bottom
someone had drilled out a two to three inch hole and refilled it, I
assumed to inspect the damage. What bothers me is that there is a crack
along the back of the rudder where the shaft is, and near the bottom a
foot or so long.

My questions are, is this a big deal in your opinion, and is it
acceptable for water to flood the inside of the rudder?

Suggestions? Ideas?Dave V2917

 

[tlochhaas]

Not to be too alarmist, Dave, but it can be pretty bad news if the
rudder has been wet inside a long time. I've been told by surveyors that
the steel pieces welded onto the rudder post (around which the rudder
is built) can rust and then break off, allowing the post to rotate
inside the rudder. That is, if this happens, suddenly you have no rudder
control. I have no idea, however, how one can check for this--you might
want to talk around and ask others if there's a noninvasive way to check
structural integrity. (In the meantime, study up on how to cope with
rudder failure--there are several ways of steering or rigging up an
emergency rudder in an emergency, and it's probably good for all sailors
to have something tucked in the back of their mind for what to do if
they were to lose rudder control.) Good luck with it.

Tom
Vega 1240

BACHAND, Dave (Info. Tech. Services) wrote:

 

[stevebirch2002]

Hi Dave

You should inspect the rudder for water ingress. This should be dried out and filled with epoxy to a good standard. The crack can be ground out and filled quite easily once you have removed the rudder.

A few Vega owners in the UK have had this problem but have cured it without much problem. One member decided to make a complete new rudder which was quite a big job. We have photos and instructions on how he did this work if needed.

Kind RegardsSteve Birch

 

[jvancraaikamp]

Hello Gents

The problems with the rudder is a common failure for old Vega's.
First you get some water in which weakens the polyester and then a
couple of cold nights with temperatures below zero centigrade will
do the rest.
In Holland we take the old polyester rudder off and change it for a
massive wooden rudder (we already have experience with wooden shoes).
The wood that we use is a waterproof type of mutiplex. It takes some
patience to get the shape right but in the end you will love the
result.

Regards, Jan van craaikamp, V 973.
Homepage http://home.wanadoo.nl/jjvancraaikamp.

 

[dobermanct_dave]

Hello-

Where do you hang the wooden rudder? From the same 25mm shaft?

Here in Connecticut we get plenty of weather below 0C, that's why I'm a
little concerned about the cracking.

Dave V2917

 

[jvancraaikamp]

Hello Dave,

Before I owned a vega I had a cobra 25 ft build in England.
I had similar problems. I do not know the exact with of a vega
rudder but I made two halve blades from 22 mm multiplex. On the
inside of the blades I did router (I don't know if it is the propper
word) the profile from the 25 mm stailess shaft and the stainless
profiles that were welded on the shaft in the the two halves. The
stailess profiles are used to transfer the tork forces to the wood.
Then you glue the to blade halves together with the shaft sandwiched
in between. Use the propper glue (waterproof).
Once everything is dry you can start shaping the blade. To finish it
you can use a couple of epoxy layers or cover it completely with
glasfiber.
Regards Jan, V973, Holland.

 

[TJBurkett]

Last fall when pulling my rudder off I noticed that there wasn't
anykind of bushing or bearing between the end of the stainless rudder
shaft and the bronze shoe. My question is should there be some kind of
bushing there. The rudder moved freely before I'm just thinking about
wear on the shoe by the shaft. Maybe some of you engineers out there
can provide some feedback. If a bushing is needed I was thinking of
molding one out of graphite impregnated epoxy. Any comments?

Tom V-398

 

[gene_neill]

Great article, Jon, thank you for posting it.

 

[pelagicasd]

Jon,Thanks for the confirmation on the diameter. The rudder seems fine but when I did rebuild it many years ago there was corrosion on the pin and it was a bit loose. I should have addressed it then but was scheduled to go back in the water so it didn't
get done. Should have as one of my very good friends at the time was a machinist with his own shop. There is an outfit locally that rebuilds metal fishing boats so I should be able to get it done locally. I can't get your attachment to open, do you recall
the depth of the hole in the shoe? Does the shaft on the series 2/3 go all the way through the rudder? I would imagine they used the same shoe but maybe not. When I tried to put a series 2 tank in Lyric's bilge the tank was to wide to fit. Not sure about the
outside dimensions. I kind of doubt that they retooled the molds for the hull. But then again, they did for the cockpit coamings. WaltFrom: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com on behalf of Jon Phillips jonphillipsmsw@... [AlbinVega] AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 3:09 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] rudder question




Of course if you only need 6" or so a marina shop might have a piece of prop shaft for you. I've attached the How to Build a Vega Rudder which has all measurements for a series 2/3 rudder. Not particularly helpful for you but nice to keep
it recent in my mailbox -How to build a Vegarudder.pdf