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another new rudder question :-/ **UPDATE**

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 18:12:25

I'll take a photo of the rudder tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that it is dead. The previous owner had the original owner fail on him and was on a tight budget so he bought another well used one as a replacement.

Besides the crack the trailing edge of the rudder is pretty beat up.

The rudder quality (and main sail quality...they are the two primary things that needed replacement) were accounted for in the price.

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 20:18:25

Nobody is interested in the Blue Water edition? Long, narrow and balanced, the description continuing with sharper turns and greater pointing strength needed for swells etc.

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CarbonSink62
Navigator

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USA
208 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2012 : 07:57:33

I am greatly interested in the blue water rudder; mine is also an original that is cracked up the back. I have to get a few seasons out of it though.

I like the sound of the HDPE, but I'll need to know more before I invest that much money.

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2012 : 09:22:32

I pulled my rudder and I'm more hopeful about it than I expected. The only seam crack is at the very top. It needs a new tiller, and I have one on the way from CD, but otherwise I think I'll be able to get a couple more years out of it. By then the quality of the HDPE rudders should be well understood.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2012 : 17:18:27

The HDPE rudders have been described as being somewhat bendy and a racer on the forum purchased one then sold it soon after saying he thought it best for only light conditions as he had issues with rounding up both downwind and up.

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2012 : 11:16:58

I have a rudder rehab question.

I pulled my rudder and have it at home on the workbench. A new tiller is attached.

The hole the pivot bolt goes through was highly ovalized (and in the wrong place for the newer U-style strap that I got). To avoid ovalizing the new hole I was thinking about drilling it oversized and epoxying in a stainless bushing that the bolt would pivot in. Is there any reason not to do this?

I do think my rudder isn't too long for this world, the core seems to be pretty soggy. I guess we'll be looking at a new foam/fiberglass replacement in the next year.

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2012 : 13:16:33

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by awetmore
 ...the core seems to be pretty soggy. I guess we'll be looking at a new foam/fiberglass replacement in the next year.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Indeed... A rotten core is what causes the original unbalanced rudders to snap off at the lower pintle--usually in strong winds when pounding through some waves (or wakes), or when you're fighting the rudder in following seas. It's not a good feeling.

Your idea for the bushing sounds good--as I recall, the new balanced fiberglass rudder comes with a flared tube for the tiller bolt. That bolt should be a "shoulder bolt"--smooth inside the rudder, with a short segment of threads on the end.

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blanik
Navigator

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Canada
210 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2012 : 15:26:22

if your rudder is in it's terminal stage i wouldn't bother with the metal sleeve (it could rust and jam), i would oversize it, fill it with epoxy and redrill it to proper size... it should be good enough for it's remaining years

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2012 : 15:29:35

With closer inspection I found a crack in the forward end of the rudder at the lower pintle. This is a horizontal crack, not the two halves of the rudder separating. This tells me that I should really order a replacement now, not later, and put this one in deep storage on the boat for emergency purposes.

I ping'd Foss to ask for their current pricing and shipping costs to here. I'm going to stick with fiberglass and foam, the HDPE rudders seem to have their own set of issues. A well taken care of fiberglass one should hopefully last another 25 years.

At least this is something that I counted on when buying the boat, since the rudder was already in visibly poor shape.

alex

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blanik
Navigator

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Canada
210 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2012 : 16:38:15

which Foss did you "ping"?

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2012 : 07:52:27

The one in Florida. The pricing listed here is accurate. 69x15", my current unbalanced rudder is 60x14" (which may not be a Catalina rudder? It isn't original to the boat).

Does IdaSailor make the HDPE rudders for CD?

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