Looking at an S2 9.2a which has been out of the water for a few years. I noticed that there's a crack in the rudder right where the post comes out, which in itself is relatively minor. However, there apears to be a line of red rust coming out of the crack. Normally the rudder post is all stainless. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how serious was it? And has anyone done any repairs to their rudder and can tell me how its constructed inside?
Rudder rust (??)
- Thread starter th0rs.hamm3r
- Start date
- Status
It can be serious. The webbing which holds the rudder to the shaft is stainless and won't cause rusty colored water. What can be serious and cause the rudder to let go is weakening of the welds holding the webbing together and to the shaft. The only way to determine how badly corroded the welds are is to remove the rudder and split it apart to inspect. Anything else done to determine integrity of the rudder is a guess.
Welds=yes, true. I was wondering what could be rusting since the post and webbing are typically stainless. But welds can rust despite the parent metal. I'll have to get a surveyors opinion on that one
that may be rust bleading down from the support inside the boat as it is made from black iron/steel......
It unfortunately isn't uncommon for rudders to take on water, freeze and split in cold regions. The surveyor can tell you if it is saturated via percussion sounding and / or his moisture meter. You can sound it yourself easily to get an idea of what you are getting yourself into. Using a plastic hammer or plastic screwdrive handle tap the rudder. Sharp sound = good, dull thump = bad. Personally I'd knock about $1500 off for this if I were buying it, but I wouldn't walk away from it.
BobM: Yes, I talked to my boss, who has alot of sailing/boat project experience. He says the same thing - walk thru any boatyard and you'll find many rudders constructed this way have the same problems with cracks at the top. His cousin drills a hole in the bottom of his rudder in the fall to let the water weep out instead of freezing inside, then fills the hole in the spring.
As far as asking for money off - there's not much negotiation room when I'm only paying $5000...
As far as asking for money off - there's not much negotiation room when I'm only paying $5000...
Doesn't sound like it! $5K is a great price. Why so cheap? It isn't the 9.2A down in Bristol with the new cushions, the new windows lying on the deck and 1 cyl yanmar is it? They were asking 15K for it two years ago when I looked at it and tried to tell me it had only been on the hard a year when the blue tarp was shedding quarter sized flakes when the wind blew. I guess I should have offered 10K like I thought!
No, not that one. This has been on the hard since '06. was listed with a CT broker but no longer.
Bob, can you send me a link to that post? I'm looking for all the inside info I can get as I inspect this boat.
Wow. That was a pain to find. But it would have been a bigger pain to reproduce.
http://forums.s2.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=715815&highlight=chain plates
http://forums.s2.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=715815&highlight=chain plates
- Status