Broken Rudder, Repair advice please..

[Miss_Dallie]

Just out of curiosity, which hole in the rudder is the pivot hole and which hole is the lock down hole? It's possible that I removed the wrong bolt as the lock down bolt thereby overstressing the rudder by pivoting on the wrong axis.

I removed the bolt from the center hole (furthest aft when up and locked) to unlock the rudder and used the upper offset hole as the pivot axis...did I foul this up? This is the way I've done it since day one.

Ron
Miss Dallie

[Champguy]

Ron,

The holes with the circular rub markings around them are the pivot holes, and the holes with the most damage are the locking holes.

Is it possible the damage was done by stresses on the locking hole while trailering?

Good luck with your repairs,

Aaron

[Miss_Dallie]

if that's the case, I removed the wrong bolts...

the damage must have been caused by using the locking holes as the pivot holes; too much stress just sailing around I guess. I feel horrible.

A costly mistake.

Ron

[Mac26Mpaul]

On these boats, we have what some call, a sacrificial daggerboard... Its designed to break rather than doing the boat any damage. I tend to think Roger has made the rudders like this too, i.e break rudders rather than do any serious damage to the boat.

We all mess up once in a while, dont beat yourself up about it

I dont use bolts when trailering (not that I do much of it). Not sure if I'm right, but I tend to think the small amount of spring that the rope gives is better than a bolt holding that rudder up there (as long as the ropes are secured properly!)

Thats a lot to fork out ( my missus wouldnt have let me ), but hey, that 4th of July time on the water with your better half is priceless, so whats a grand to pay for this little holiday this time..

Those rudders shouldnt be too much trouble to fix I dont think.
I'm convinced mine is at least as strong, and probably stronger that it was before...

As to not pouring money into the boat,,, well hey it is a boat, What do they say,,, a hole in the water that you just keep pouring money into but worth it if ya ask me

[Ixneigh]

I have the ida rudders and like them a lot. If you predominantly sail it is a purchase you might have contemplated anyway. Now you get to use them over the holiday. I keep my oem rudders as a spare. I also have a third rudder that was Slighty damaged when I took delivery of the boat (among other things:p) that the dealer replaced. I never lock the rudders either up or down. Note I rarely trailer and not more then a few miles.
Ixneigh

[Miss_Dallie]

Note I rarely trailer and not more then a few miles.

Unfrotunately, I live in the inland empire and must trailer the 40+ miles to launch. If I don't bolt the rudders up, and one or both were to drop, I'm stewed.

We all mess up once in a while, dont beat yourself up about it

I know poop happens but this was blatant stupidity. I deserve the black eye I gave myself.

Next summer we are going to rent a slip for four months or that's our plan thus far. I need to read up on what I need to do to prepare the boat for staying in the water before we do rent a slip. My problem with renting a slip is the $350 or so per month.

Ron

[Catigale]

As to the stainless bolts - Huge hassle to go get em, is this really nesessary? I mean, firstly, the bolts will be incased in glass and should not see water, and secondly, there will be no air for rust to grow in there. Am I right or wrong here?

In a polite word, yes.

Welcome to the world of entropy. It looks like you are sealing things up well, but oxygen and water molecules are small little buggers and will pass through most anything and rust it....

[dlandersson]

Has anyone ever gone and done this?

Or, other than gelcoat, is there a good material for just coating a scratch on a rudder?

It shouldn't be that expensive to have a CNC shop cut you two pieces of Delrin (generic: Acetal) that will match the shape of your unbroken rudder. The IDA rudders are made of Delrin--solid plastic that shapes like wood and is inexpensive.

I'd talk to local woodshops about this before I did the repair work. Buying online including shipping gets a 24x24" acetal sheet in white for under $200 that you could cut both rudders out of. I'm not exactly sure what the rudder length is, but it wouldn't be much more than that for materials. You could cut them yourself with typical shop tools if you felt you had the requisite skills.

[Catigale]

You only really need one rudder!

..and your life will be half as tacky !!!

[RobertB]

It shouldn't be that expensive to have a CNC shop cut you two pieces of Delrin (generic: Acetal) that will match the shape of your unbroken rudder. The IDA rudders are made of Delrin--solid plastic that shapes like wood and is inexpensive.

I'd talk to local woodshops about this before I did the repair work. Buying online including shipping gets a 24x24" acetal sheet in white for under $200 that you could cut both rudders out of. I'm not exactly sure what the rudder length is, but it wouldn't be much more than that for materials. You could cut them yourself with typical shop tools if you felt you had the requisite skills.

Where do you buy your plastic? A 24x24 sheet for $200 looks to be only 1/2 inch thick. For 1 inch, the price I see is over $400. Not sure what the actual thickness needed is.

[dlandersson]

Very good questions. Suddenly $265 for a Mac 26X rudder is looking reasonable.

Where do you buy your plastic? A 24x24 sheet for $200 looks to be only 1/2 inch thick. For 1 inch, the price I see is over $400. Not sure what the actual thickness needed is.

[Ixneigh]

A couple gallons of polyester resin and six yards of biax and a grinder track 48 grit will fix any damage you could do to the rudderheads. Nix on the home made plastic rudders. The stuff is difficult to work with so far as shaping the foil goes. More difficult the glass IMHO
grind frack out of the damaged area and fair the glass back on to the prepped lower sections of the foil.

re trailoring I do lashthe rudders up tightly but do not use the locking bolts

[trdprotruck]

It shouldn't be that expensive to have a CNC shop cut you two pieces of Delrin (generic: Acetal) that will match the shape of your unbroken rudder. The IDA rudders are made of Delrin--solid plastic that shapes like wood and is inexpensive.

I'd talk to local woodshops about this before I did the repair work. Buying online including shipping gets a 24x24" acetal sheet in white for under $200 that you could cut both rudders out of. I'm not exactly sure what the rudder length is, but it wouldn't be much more than that for materials. You could cut them yourself with typical shop tools if you felt you had the requisite skills.

Where do you buy your plastic? A 24x24 sheet for $200 looks to be only 1/2 inch thick. For 1 inch, the price I see is over $400. Not sure what the actual thickness needed is.

Are you pricing out HDPE (High Density Poly Ethelyne)? Its the same stuff as King Starboard, although I believe King has a UV Inhibitor. I'm getting into CNC machining and started getting my plastic from orange county industrial plastics http://www.ocip.com/.

-Randy

[dlandersson]

Could you make a 1997 rudder? Cost?

Are you pricing out HDPE (High Density Poly Ethelyne)? Its the same stuff as King Starboard, although I believe King has a UV Inhibitor. I'm getting into CNC machining and started getting my plastic from orange county industrial plastics http://www.ocip.com/.

-Randy

[dlandersson]

Last Oct, a "helpful" bud put some prop "nicks" into my properllers while we were putting my on it's trailer. I'm just wondering the best way to refinish/waterproof them again.

A couple gallons of polyester resin and six yards of biax and a grinder track 48 grit will fix any damage you could do to the rudderheads. Nix on the home made plastic rudders. The stuff is difficult to work with so far as shaping the foil goes. More difficult the glass IMHO
grind frack out of the damaged area and fair the glass back on to the prepped lower sections of the foil.

re trailoring I do lashthe rudders up tightly but do not use the locking bolts