water in rudder

[rob.lovelace]

yeah well I can tell ya it's bloody heavy alright.

[Sean Spence]

I've had to fix a rudder & so looked up a few things.

The main issue is that it depends on the structure of the rudder. If it's fibreglass there'll be an internal frame which could be made of wood or metal, sometimes with core foam. A leak destroys the foam, and eventually structurally weakens the rudder framework so that you end up with two bits of fibreglass that obviously aren't joined totally and aren't internally supported.

Does it echo when you tap it and is that what's expected of a leveraged load-bearing item?

Are Top Hat rudders fibreglass or metal? Wish I knew, now!

Good luck,

[Phillip]

Sean and All,

You should be able to pick the rudder up easily, if not a bit awkwardly.

Underwater it is almost neutral in buoyancy.
I know this, as I removed my rudder inwater [thereby allowing the prop to fall off]


before going up on the slip last time. The only steel [SS] is in the shaft, I think the rest is constructed of timber, foam and fibreglass, but Tom should be able to confirm that point.

I think if the rudder is full of water you are making it harder for yourself when sailing.

Phillip

[rob.lovelace]

think I read somewhere they are fibreglass over ply

[Miker]

My rudder is hollow, so it was either made that way or the timber core is gone over the last 30 years.

Last time she was out, the shipwrights didn't mention it at all. The time before I looked at it myself and it seemed sturdy, although drum like when you rapped on it.

I wonder how we could find out what the specs for the rudder was originally?

[surrealbass]

Hi there Philip, just a quick hijack if I may- how did you stop the water coming in when you pulled the rudder? I need to replace the rudder tube on Joylee and it would be GREAT to do it in the water at my berth as I need to do it before I fit my motor

[Phillip]

Easy Chris,

Firstly if you remove your rudder you won't SINK! nor will any water come into the cockpit [Newtons Law].


1. Remove the Tiller block.
2. With scuba or hooka remove the 3 or 4 bolts in the rudder shoe. If they have never been removed before its a file and a 6" punch to remove them [they are burred over bronze pins but you will replace them with SS bolts, which you replace about every 5 years as the thread corrodes].
3. Slide the rudder down, you need at least a metre clearance below the keel.
4. With the rope you attached before doing all this, haul the rudder to surface and deal with to your hearts content.
5. While the rudder is off you can now remove the propellor and service that also [maybe on the slip?].

Phillip.
PS Watch out for the sharks.

[Dolphin]

Chris the MK1 has a fibregalss tube that the rudder stock sits in that goes between the bottom of the hull and the cockpit deck. Similar idea to a centreboard case in a small dinghy.

Mine is slightly different as I've got wheel steering and a stuffing tube in the hull. If I remove the rudder in the water then glug glug glug!

[surrealbass]

thanks for the input guys- unfortunately mine is a little different again as she is a mark ?? (carvel plank timber!!) with a rudder tube out of bronze. the wankers that charged the previous owner a fortune for some very dodgey work didn't see fit to put zincs on a timber boat so now I have a porous copper tube I have left it til now but as the engine is out now's the time! wasn't thinking that of course Philip only had the rudder out so the tube was still doing it's job unlike mine

[Dolphin]

Oh dear Chris !!
But you shouldn't need anodes on a brass or copper tube should you? Is that a silly question?
Is it in contact with the stainless of the rudder?