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Old 15-01-2025, 19:08   #1
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Rudder Rebuild - Foam in the rudder stock?

I've owned a CAL 33-2 now for a few years and ever since I've owned it, the foam has been water logged and it weeps orange every fall after haul out. Having some concern I decided to drop the rudder this past fall and open it up for an inspect and rebuild.

The plus side - the rudder internals are way over designed and there was no corrosion concerns. The bad - a lot of the foam was water logged, areas were found where there was no foam (voids) and a lot of glass that was delaminated.

I'm shaping the new foam and hoping to start laying the fibreglass in a few days. One thing I've been trying to decide is what to do with the rudder stock. Should I leave it open, as-is, or fill it in with a low density foam to prevent condensation and ultimately water intake into the new foam? If so, is crevice corrosion then a concern? Ultimately, whatever I do, the rebuilt rudder will outlast my life with the boat.

What is the popular path forward?
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Old 15-01-2025, 22:09   #2
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Re: Rudder Rebuild - Foam in the rudder stock?

Where are you located? Not Canada I hope, as I would think your rudder would have been damaged when the water froze when hauled. That happened to our previous boat so after that I started drilling a small drain hole after hauling, and sealed it before launch.

I was going to suggest what I have since done on our current boat, but my rudder posts go to the bottom of the rudders (skeg supported) and is on the leading edge of the ruddesr. I drilled two small holes near the bottom of the rudder from the leading edge through both walls of the pipe. This of course drained the rudders, and before launching I plugged the holes with epoxy. Now when hauling out, or anytime for that matter, I stick a tube down the rudder post and pump the water out.

This would not be effective with your rudder. Regardless, I don't see how filling the post with foam would help. Besides, if the top of the rudder is below the waterline, I expect that water is seeping between the post and the fiberglass. That's a difficult connection to make. Perhaps if you are using epoxy you will do better than the builder did.
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Old 16-01-2025, 09:23   #3
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Re: Rudder Rebuild - Foam in the rudder stock?

Yes I am in eastern Canada and yes, I assumed the freeze thaw did some damage. I've been doing the drill, drain and plug for a few years but it hasn't made a difference. I can confirm the water didn't come in around the rudder stock at the top of the rudder. Looks like someone previously beveled out a groove and filled it with 4200 or 5200. I did however find lots of fiberglass that was dry and delaminated from the original construction. A few sizable voids too where the fiberglass was paper thin so I suspect it was intaken through one of those spots.

Whole rudder has had new foam installed and new shell on both sides.


Quote:
Originally Posted by ggray View Post
Where are you located? Not Canada I hope, as I would think your rudder would have been damaged when the water froze when hauled. That happened to our previous boat so after that I started drilling a small drain hole after hauling, and sealed it before launch.

I was going to suggest what I have since done on our current boat, but my rudder posts go to the bottom of the rudders (skeg supported) and is on the leading edge of the ruddesr. I drilled two small holes near the bottom of the rudder from the leading edge through both walls of the pipe. This of course drained the rudders, and before launching I plugged the holes with epoxy. Now when hauling out, or anytime for that matter, I stick a tube down the rudder post and pump the water out.

This would not be effective with your rudder. Regardless, I don't see how filling the post with foam would help. Besides, if the top of the rudder is below the waterline, I expect that water is seeping between the post and the fiberglass. That's a difficult connection to make. Perhaps if you are using epoxy you will do better than the builder did.
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Old 16-01-2025, 10:29   #4
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Re: Rudder Rebuild - Foam in the rudder stock?

The foam inside the rudder is there for a couple reasons.

One of the important reasons not often discussed here is buoyancy control. If the rudder on a monohull sailboat is significantly heavier than water, then when the boat heels to the wind, the rudder wants to sink. This imposes loads on the helm that are not distinguishable from weather helm, but since it is coming from a completely different cause, it can make trimming the boat properly quite difficult.

As my former boat approached her 40th birthday, I was taking her across the Pacific ocean. Since the internal condition of the rudder on a boat that old is impossible to know, I dropped the rudder and cut it open to make sure there was no corrosion of the web or other things that needed fixing before heading offshore.

Surprisingly, to me at least, the internals were dry and shiny. So while it is difficult to build a reliable watertight seal at the rudder post entrance to the rudder, it is not at all impossible. The rudder was sealed back up and sailed for another 5000 miles without issue.
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