rudder problem

[diverdad69]

hi everyone, went down to the boat today and noticed the rudder has a deep crack running down 60% of the rudder on the shaft side. if I had it pointed to run straight its right inline dead center. glad I caught it while shes on the hard as it could have broken off real easy. how difficult is it to repair such a thing or is it better to just build a new one?

[sailingdog]

Diverdad-

When you have a repair question like this, it would probably be useful to mention what kind of boat it is on, don't you think??? The make and model of the boat will often affect how difficult a repair or replacement of a rudder will be to do. It will also affect part availability... Getting a replacement rudder for a Catalina 30 is probably a good deal simpler than getting one for a Nightwind 35...

Asking questions without providing the necessary and relevant information generally gets poor answers... I would highly recommend you read the POST in my signature since it says a bit more about how to write a good opening post.

[diverdad69]

looks like you got me again .
it is a 1972 irwin 28 i'll take a picture tomorrow and post it

[camaraderie]

Diver...Water intrusion into Irwin rudders is common. The issue is not the crack...but the integrity of the underlying metal. You should drop the rudder and peel it open to insect and or rebuild the internal grid, then rebuild/reglass the rudder.

[diverdad69]

thanks for the advice, i was planning on doing just that. has anyone ever made a stainless rudder? does it have to be foam filled? just curious.... its coming off tomorrow

thanks again
Diver

[camaraderie]

Should find a stainless post with welded grid/frame attached...enclosed by foam and covered in glass. Don't go solid OR stainless. Stainless is not good or full time underwater. Just fx it up and put it back in the same manner.

[JiffyLube]

You could check out Foss Foam Products of Florida ,Inc. , they've been making rudders since 1978...and they might have made your rudder.

[sailingdog]

Cam's correct about the problem and the resolution... and going with a solid metal rudder is not a great option on a boat the size of yours.. DO you have any idea how much it would weigh, even it it was mostly hollow???

Usually, the area most susceptible to rust and problems on the rudder stock/web are the welds, since welding generally makes the metal more prone to rusting there. Check the welds very carefully.

Also, notice that you got a much better answer once you said it was an Irwin 28. Without knowing it was an Irwin 28, there was no way to know what the construction of the rudder was.

[diverdad69]

here is my photobucket link and 6 pics of the rudder

diverdad69 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

[sailingdog]

Diverdad-

I would highly recommend cutting open the rudder and inspecting the rudder stock and web since there appears to be some corrosion staining visible in the cracks in your photos.