Wet rudder

[henryk]

When i bought my boat this year , the surveyor noticed water dripping from the rudder when the boat was hauled out . Some Tayana owner are saying that this is nothing to be worry about it as long as the the fiberglass is solid with out deformations . I drilled an inspection hole and the foam was wet , but the the stainless part of it was intact , in good shape .
Any feedback on it would be highly appreciated
Regards and Happy New Year to everybody
Henryk

[CSY Man]

The metal parts inside the rudder could be corroded and ready to break.

Same thing happened to me 8 years ago. Ended up having a new rudder built and installed.

Contact these guys: The Foss Company Makes Quality Sailboat Rudders and Dagger Boards that Can Be Shipped Anywhere in the World from Newport Beach, California

[pjbsailing]

First - most rudders are wet. I drill a hole in the bottom, and let it drain when on the hard. While draining, check the water for rust, as this would indicate that the frame is corroding. I might get an initial 2 tablespoons, then a slow drip for a few days. Stuff some thickened epoxy in there in the spring.

_/) Cheers

[delmarrey]

Rudders should float!!!
It keeps the weight off the pivot bearing and if it ever does break off, it can be retrieved.

No! There should not be water in the rudder. I suspected I had water in mine when I was doing a hyd. steering install. Since I was removing the quadrant I pulled the rudder too. I drilled a couple small holes but no water!

Although, I did give it a couple more coats of glass and epoxy to keep it in good shape. As well, I dug a grove 1/4" out around the shaft area and filled it with a 3M marine sealer and glassed over the top of that. There was a slight separation between the shaft and rudder where I was afraid water could get in even though it's normally above the water line about 3".

Then I brushed on a barrier coat.

[pjbsailing]

Up hear in the cold, if your rudder is wet and undrained, it could delam, crack, or get blistered. I heard a lot of guys say there rudders were dry, only to find a nice bubble, or split come springtime. A small bleed hole is just insurance, and doesn't cause any problems, unless you forget to plug it Try getting some sealant around the shaft where it enters the rudder, or like delmarrey says, pull it, dry it, and seal it.

[hellosailor]

Foss Foam used to be (3 years ago?) in Florida. They may be the only "rudder builders" in the US...but I'd look for another source. I know someone who lost several months while they screwed around, made a rudder that didn't fit (their mistake) and took forever about correcting the problem. And the finished product never quite balanced like the original did, "close" wasn't good enough.

That was also a "gee, it leaks a little" problem. Henry, if there's any water in the rudder at all, it is unreliable. Stainless steel can fail suddenly if it is in contact with stagnant water (like in a closed rudder) and regular steel will rust. Either way, some folks just dry it out, patch it up, and have no problem for years. Other folks lose a boat that way. Better to fix it, which unfortunately means either replacing it outright, or opening it up and exploring.
There's supposed to be a place in Maine that also does custom rudders...the West Systems epoxy guys mentioned them in their newsletter some time back, they might be able to tell you who to contact.
I suppose the move from Florida to Cali means something changed at Foss...but I'd still be scared to have anything custom made by them if the same folks were in charge. The freight charges on something that big are too substantial to want to deal in remakes.

[pjbsailing]

interesting rudder article: Rudder Failure and Rebuild