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How do I fix this damaged rudder?

3K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  Skipper Jer 
#1 · (Edited)
I need your expertise, folks.

A couple weeks ago in the Clarence Strait north of Ketchikan I hit a log with my 1991 Ericson E-34 and suddenly lost the ability to do anything but turn left. I climbed down the swim ladder to discover that the rudder had been bent aft just enough to jam against the bit of the hull that protrudes downward to meet the top of it. The attached pic is of another boat and is there just to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about. This bad luck was quickly followed by some good when a tender came to my rescue. We used its crane to lift my stern out of the water far enough to use an air tool to grind down the top of the rudder, freeing it to rotate left and right, allowing us to limp on to our destination.

So now I sit in Juneau with a helm that turns freely to the left but then becomes very stiff when the rudder passes the midline for a right turn.

I'm guessing that there'll be two parts to this fix.

1. Dropping the rudder out the bottom and straightening...what is it called?...the rudder tube. So how do I remove the rudder? And how would I straighten the tube?

2. Replacing the layer of fiberglass that I ground off the top of it to keep water out of it.

And, while I'm working on it, is there anything I can install to reduce the likelihood of this happening again or, if it does, a way to deal with it that does not depend on having at my disposal a 90 foot tender with a full mechanical shop on board?

Thanks in advance!

Ed
"Kinnaree"
'91 Ericson E-34
 

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#3 ·
Ive seen people use a come along or block and tackle around the keel and pulled to rebend it back to were it was free again. Can it tear out the rudder post and bearings? Very possible, but not always. I've seen it done a couple of times on Catalina 30s I'd drop it .. not really that diffficult. usually have to dig a hole for the rudder to drop into. Take photos the crew here can help.

Thinking about it makes it more difficult then doing it!
 
#4 ·
Bet the shaft is straightenable (and tube is OK) if you can drop it into a hole while on a cradle or hanging in slings.If it looks like it could slide out without hanging up half way you could drop it on the shallows at high tide and pick it up at low.fix it and find your tender for a replay. Ive done similar stunts hanging on the side of a big packer and once dangling from a 500 ton crane on an oil rig.
 
#5 ·
I like the insurance pro job plan.... this is your rudder after all a big wind and a lee shore would be a bad time for it to fail because you "fixed" it yourself and possibly missed something or...or...or...
That's just me, I have fixed alot of things in my life and a tube once bent will never straighten to original shape due to metal fatigue.
That in my opinion. Good luck on your repair.
As far as preventing it....full keel with skeg mounted rudder.
 
#6 ·
I'm assuming the rudder shaft is stainless, there is a stainless frame inside the fiberglass rudder itself.

Now the question is, what "bent." Was it the shaft, or did the whole metal piece (typically a frame welded to the shaft) stay in place while the FG displaced, or was the rudder bearing somehow displaced. If it were me, before I stressed it in any seaway, I'd need to know and replace/repair whatever broke/bent. I don't know how to do that without dropping the rudder. I've seen people dig the hole described to do it.


A good friend lost a rudder offshore on the way to the islands from here, and needed to tow wraps for 500 miles. It was not an easy trip. In his case, the stainless rudder shaft failed, possibly due to crevice corrosion. Only a few things need to work on a boat to be safe, it needs to stay water tight, the rig needs to say in, as does the rudder. You could argue, everything else is a "convenience."
 
#7 ·
Usually such rudder shafts are hollow SS tube. If the rudder is removed/dropped it can be straightened with heat and an arbor/break press ... and then an 'insert' tube epoxied and welded to the inside diameter of the old post, as 'insurance'. Usually such heat straightening will cause the rudder to leak to the inside, so you'll then have to also 'rework' the area where the shaft enters the FRG.
 
#10 ·
I had a rudder break off. The break was right at the point the tube entered the rudder. The fix was to procure a stainless steel tube whose OD was the ID of the rudder tube. Welded the two tubes at the top, drilled and thru bolted the two tubes a couple places on the rudder itself. Some epoxy to patch the bolt holes, some bottom paint, inserted the rudder while boat was in the water. No big deal. If this was my boat I'd cut the old tube off and do the fix outlined above. Cost is probably less than your insurance deductible. It ain't rocket science.
 
#9 ·
Call "Al the Rudder Guy" at 509-392-9568. His company makes OEM rudders for several manufacturers. He built a replacement rudder for me. But even if you don't intend to purchase call him, his is a wealth of knowledge and will offer free advice.
 
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