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 Finally done! Balanced rudder		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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iwillnotsubmit
1st Mate

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64 Posts
Initially Posted - 04/08/2012 :  10:33:10  Show Profile
I finally finished building a balanced rudder. I used marine plywood and epoxy/fiberglass for construction. It took several months and probably only saved me a few hundred dollars vs buying a new rudder. I learned a lot along the way and it was fun. Here are a few photos of the process.







































1980 Catalina 25 TR, FK, Traditional. Sailing on the Mississippi River, Portage Des Souix, MO.
Edited by - iwillnotsubmit on 04/08/2012 13:02:01

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts
Response Posted - 04/08/2012 :  13:21:50  Show Profile
What a great set of pictures. Nice job.
Looks a lot like mine.
Just wondering whether you sealed the epoxy with a water proof barrier coat? Will the wood eventually get wet?
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iwillnotsubmit
1st Mate

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64 Posts
Response Posted - 04/08/2012 :  13:57:44  Show Profile
Thanks Bruce, I did a final seal of West System 422 barrier coat. It claims to be less permeable to water and more abrasion resistant. I used 3 layers of fiberglass cloth with additional layers in high wear areas. Next I rolled on 3 layers of unthickened epoxy. Then a few layers thickened for filling and fairing. Finished with top side polyurethane above the waterline and an ablative below. Hopefully the wood does not get wet.
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WesAllen
Navigator

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USA
222 Posts
Response Posted - 04/08/2012 :  14:28:05  Show Profile
Great job and very informative pictures.
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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts
Response Posted - 04/08/2012 :  14:32:34  Show Profile
Great work, and excellent photos.
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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts
Response Posted - 04/08/2012 :  16:45:43  Show Profile  Visit OLarryR's Homepage
Great job !!!

You have to provide us a follow-up thru the season as to the endurance testing of your new rudder and how well it holds up.
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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts
Response Posted - 04/08/2012 :  18:20:44  Show Profile  Visit Prospector's Homepage
Curious with regards to bouyancy. When ours broke off the boat I was only able to recover it because it floated. I would be interested to know if the layup without any sort of foam in it will still float.
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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts
Response Posted - 04/08/2012 :  18:26:49  Show Profile
Wow Robert, very talented. How did you match the curvature (varying thicknesses) of the old rudder - calipers?

I usually rate a project by the number of new tools I can justify
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Tomas Kruska
Admiral

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Czech Republic
522 Posts
Response Posted - 04/09/2012 :  02:56:54  Show Profile  Visit Tomas Kruska's Homepage
Great photo story and final results looks very nice.
I love this kind of projects because you will learn new skills and get some new tools
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pastmember
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2402 Posts
Response Posted - 04/09/2012 :  06:40:46  Show Profile
Very impressive, few have you patience.
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iwillnotsubmit
1st Mate

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64 Posts
Response Posted - 04/09/2012 :  16:27:17  Show Profile
Thank you all for your kind words. I have been inspired to complete many projects on my Cat 25 because of reading this website. So much great info. @Prospector...I am not sure if it will float, but it feels like it weighs less that the rudder it replaces. The old rudder was unbalanced and in very poor shape, many splits and previous repairs. It did not inspire confidence. @ OJ...I did not match the original foil shape, I just made it look like a symmetrical airfoil. I shaped it with a router, hand plane and belt sander. I too like to figure new tools into decisions about new projects. I am replacing bulkheads next, guess I'll have to buy a new jig saw.
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iwillnotsubmit
1st Mate

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64 Posts
Response Posted - 01/22/2013 :  20:59:40  Show Profile
UPDATE....The rudder performed great this year. When I pulled the boat out for the winter, I did a close inspection of the rudder and it looks good, no cracks or problems. It gave me a very light but responsive feel to the tiller. I was able to test it for buoyancy and it does float. A few coats of bottom paint and it will be ready for next season. Come on next season!!!!!!!!!
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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts
Response Posted - 01/22/2013 :  22:21:05  Show Profile
Impressive work! Speaking of keeping water out of the wood, I'm curious over what you did for the holes for the pintle and tiller bolts.
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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts
Response Posted - 01/23/2013 :  05:30:51  Show Profile
Sweet!! What a cool project and Great results.
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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts
Response Posted - 01/23/2013 :  05:37:36  Show Profile
I especially like the first shot with the empty table and the Beer..

Inspirational!

Thank You for the pictures.
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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts
Response Posted - 01/24/2013 :  15:10:05  Show Profile
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'm curious over what you did for the holes for the pintle and tiller bolts<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Nice job and I'm sure you are getting a lot of personal satisfaction from it. The week spots for water intrusion will be the pintle bolt holes and tiller hole or if you should strike something and crack the fiberglass. Keep an eye on those spots and it should last a long time.
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iwillnotsubmit
1st Mate

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64 Posts
Response Posted - 01/24/2013 :  16:40:43  Show Profile
All holes in the rudder were drilled oversize and filled with thickend epoxy. The finished hole was centered in the epoxy and left no exposed wood for water to enter. At least that is the plan. Pintels sealed with polysulfide and no sealer for the tiller bolt.
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sweetcraft
Admiral

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USA
816 Posts
Response Posted - 01/31/2013 :  04:00:41  Show Profile
What a great job. I have seen sleeves glued in holes for sealing. Anyone ever see this method?
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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts
Response Posted - 01/31/2013 :  14:18:45  Show Profile
I press fit an aluminum sleeve into our HDPE (IdaSailor) rudder to reduce/eliminate wear from the tiller bolt on the rudder. I also did this same thing on a previous fiberglass rudder to seal the pivot point.

I have a lathe which makes these trivial to make. I made it 3/8" ID, 5/8" OD. Since most people don't have a lathe you might have better luck finding some aluminum tubing with the correct dimensions.

On a fiberglass rudder I do think that the Maine Sail method of using a dremel to remove core, leaving the skins, and bonding them together with thickened epoxy both creates a stronger structure and and is less likely to leak than making a sleeve (or drilling oversized and then using epoxy to seal). Maine Sail's method maximizes the bonding area.

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/sealing_the_deck
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
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.