Rudder Support Wood Blocks

[Charlsey Belle]

On my Gulf Coast 18 I have two wood blocks that my metal rudder supports connects to. they are about 5" x 1". One for the top support and one for the bottom. My question is, what kind of wood do I use to replace these since they are shot? The bottom one is submerged while in the water. Thanks and God Bless!

 

[rgranger]

Trex?

Or use a stainless steel L-bracket.

I think what you are talking about is called a gudgeon. On the rudder you have two pins (pintels) that slip into a bracket on the boat (gudgeon).

 

[rgranger]

You can buy them...

 

[Ron20324]

Aw, come on, guys, re-read the OP.

 

[Brian S]

I'm thinking that teak would be good. High density, strong, and oily for weather resistance.

 

[Charlsey Belle]

Ordered a marine teak board today to cut to size for $15. Any advice on sealing it, especially since the lower piece will be submerged for a few days at a time? Thanks in advance.

 

[DougM]

Assuming you are bolting the teak through the transom, you could gasket seal it with the dreaded 3M 5200. Problem is you'd never get get the parts off again. Below the water line a good sealant like BoatLife would be a choice, or maybe some of Maine Sail's butyl tape.
As for the teak itself, because it's oily, few finishes will stick to it very well at all. You could leave it unfinished and periodically use teak oil on the wood. Perhaps a better wood choice for finishing purposes would be a piece of white oak.

 

[kito]

Nothing wrong with 5200 for below waterline. That's what it is designed for. I never had trouble removing anything sealed with it. Butyl tape is for above waterline only. You can go to walmart and pick up a tube of Attwood 7200 sealant. I like it better than the 3m version.

 

[Brian S]

Do you mean how you would finish the teak? Or how you would seal fasteners into the boat?

If you are concerned about a surface finish for the teak, I might consider thoroughly scrubbing with acetone to remove as much oil as possible, then 2 coats of epoxy, then 8 or more coats of varnish. Hopefully the epoxy saturation will prevent the varnish bubbling up when left in the water for a few days. I assume you launch the boat for long weekends, as opposed to keeping in a slip or on a mooring for the season?

I tried to find a pic of a Gulf Coast 18 to see what was going on with the teak blocks. This was the only one I found from a lackadasical Google search. No blocks on the transom that I see.