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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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rudder de-laminating

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Todd Frye
Navigator

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USA
222 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/03/2002 : 18:48:32

I'm pretty sure the rudder that came with my 86, C-25 SR, SK, was new when I bought it three seasons ago. There was no anti fouling paint on the "wet end" and it looked in great shape. After haul out this year (no water left) I noticed a 12""split" along the trailing edge of the rudder, perpendicular to the top pintle. A thin knife blade can fit into the split where the two mold halves come together.I would like to hear from the board, your recommendations for repairing/strengthening this new development. How are the new "balanced rudders" for maintenance and longevity? Thank You. Todd Frye

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2002 : 19:21:36

Todd,

When I bought North Star last fall, the seam along the rudder was splitting ever so slightly. I reemed out the crack with Dremel and since the rudder was dry(the boat was out of the water for a few years), I filled the crack with epoxy and gelcoat. When I put an epoxy barrier coat on the hull this past spring, I also coated the rudder below the waterline to minimize water intrusion. In other threads concerning rudder splits, people have advised against leaving the rudders in the sun because this may induce splitting. Click on the following link for more information on repairing/preventing this split.
http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1526

Don Lucier, North Star
C25 SR/FK

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2002 : 19:51:57

Tod: My original rudder was similarly split--likely due to freezing with moisture in the plywood core. I heard somewhere that I should keep my new, balanced rudder out of the sun when it's out of the water because the bottom paint can absorb enough heat to swell the foam core. So I keep it in the basement during the winter to prevent both problems.

If I had fixed the original blade, I would have opened and epoxied the crack as Don describes, and then I would have laminated glass tape over the length of the crack dissuade it from reopening.

I can't give much of a report on the longevity of balanced rudder--mine is only in its second season. But sailing, it's like power steering!

Dave Bristle - 1985 C-25 #5032 SR-FK-Dinette-Honda "Passage" in SW CT

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mroettersr
Navigator

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USA
148 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2002 : 23:43:44

The PO of my '83 c25 had attempted to repair the crack running the length of the leading edge of the rudder above and below the waterline. He obviously used a non-epoxy resin of some type (perhaps auto body filler). I used a belt sander to sand the old patch off to the original fiberglass, cleaned the crap out of the crack and formed a 'v' for filling. I used neat West System epoxy to fill the void forcing air out with a sharp pick. I then put two layers of glass cloth (running two different directions for added strength) over the crack and after setting, added a fairing mixture of epoxy and filler. There was also a very short lateral crack in ther fiberglass forming at the first bolt hole in the lower pinion attachment. Two layers of glass and resin went on this as well. The bolt holes were oblong so I filled them with resin (using masking tape over the hole to hold the resin) and redrilled for a snug fit. I filled the hole for the tiller handle pivot bolt as it was really oblong. I redrilled oversize and used a bronze bushing to form a bearing surface and pressed this into the rudder. I used a regular Petit marine primer and white EasyPoxy to finish the top of the rudder and used fine wet/dry paper on a block to give a mirror finish to the rudder. Two coats of bottom paint went on the lower rudder. After 4 months in the water the top still looks great. I'll see what the bottom looks like when I pull for the winter in mid-October. Incidently, the rudder was completely dried out before I did any work on it. I suspect that if the core is bad, there is no choice but to go with a new rudder. I tapped on the rudder with a small hammer to see if there were any dead spots and found none.

Mike Roetter
'83 C25 #3568 SK/SR

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Jeff
1st Mate

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37 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2002 : 13:43:30

The forward edge of my rudder ('85 fin/tall) was beginning to open up. At the end of the season, after the boat was put on its trailer for the long winter slumber, I hung the rudder in the basement. The puddle under the rudder from an ever so slow drip was proof that the rudder had been sucking up water. I took the rudder to a local boat yard for a diagnosis, recommendation for repair, and bid.

Here's what we did: 1) Wait for the rudder to dry out completely. 2) Remove hardware. Sand the raised seam smooth. 3) Apply three layers of cloth reinforced epoxy over the entire seam. 4) Fair. Gelcoat. Anti-foul paint.

I was going to do the job myself, but ran out of time and gave the job to the yard. I think it cost $300. That was 4 years ago. No problems since. The rudder now floats, indicating watertightness.

While I was working on the rudder, I also added a machined bronze sleeve for the bolt attaching the rudder to the tiller. I epoxied the sleeve to the rudder for watertight integrity. The sleeve reduces wear to the soft rudder components, acts like a compression post for the tiller cheek plates so that they don't rub directly against the top of the rudder. I use teflon-like plastic material (available at TAP Plastics) between the rudder and tiller cheek plates to fill the 1/16" gap created by the sleeve.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.