Amateur rudder rebuild

[Danny Jo]

Some weeks ago I posted a question on Scuttlebutt about the cracks in the surface of Freestyle's heavy rudder.

Among the very helpful advice was a caution against amateur meddling with such a crucial piece of kit, presumably on the grounds of competence. I would add to this caution on the grounds of marital harmony. As some contributors suggested, I eventually concluded that I wouldn't be happy until I had got down as far as the welds securing the stainless steel tangs that prevent the stock turning in the rudder.

Guided by advice from an experienced professional at the yard, I discovered that it is far from a quick job. I console myself with the knowledge that having a professional rebuild might not have been any better, and would certainly have cost a lot. Yesterday I delivered the faired rudder to the yard, ready for its final coat of epoxy and Coppercoat.

For those who are interested, here is a set of slides showing the various stages of the rebuild. I spent about £220 on materials (West epoxy, SS screws, 600 gsm glass cloth/chopped strand composite and western red cedar), and was lucky enough to be able to lay my hands on the necessary tools at no extra cost. How much do you reckon this would have cost to have done professionally?

 

[PeteCooper]

[ QUOTE ]
How much do you reckon this would have cost to have done professionally?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well about 10 years ago I had a quote for a new rudder for the 22 ft racing yacht I had then - about £600. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[maxi]

Proper job, well done.

 

[Tranona]

Brilliant job! You missed your vocation - just don't try earning a living at it. I know when I built my rudder to a similar design, but not I regret the same standard it took about 20 hours to put it all together including head scratching time. At £35 an hour that is £700.

Anyway,you will be glad you did it properly as that will probably outlast you and the boat!

 

[BAtoo]

Well done; good looking job!

 

[Krusty]

''..... a caution against amateur meddling with such a crucial piece of kit, presumably on the grounds of competence''.

Freestyle, as one sounding the cautionary note, I take my hat off to you!
I rebuilt the rudder of my previous boat and thought I made a very respectable job of it, but yours is at least a couple of grades better!
I hope you recover any good sailing time lost. And of course full marital harmony!

 

[Poignard]

"Amateur?"

Nothing to be ashamed of.

A team of professionals designed and built Titanic but a lone amateur built Noah's Ark [although I think he had some help with the design work]

 

[rogerthebodger]

The real difference between Amateur and professional is that the professional does it for money and the amateur dose for pleasure.

The use of the words in context of quality is IMHO not always correct.

An amateur can do a much better job and cost is not normally a factor.

 

[lesweeks]

[ QUOTE ]

Among the very helpful advice was a caution against amateur meddling with such a crucial piece of kit, presumably on the grounds of competence.[ QUOTE ]

There's a lot of us amateurs who get real joy (mixed with doses of dispair) from restoring our boats. As rightly posted above, we do it for pleasure and not for money.
When I started my on my old boat (built in 1912) I thought that there would be bits that were beyond me, but given a bit of friendly advice and an attitude that it's good to have a go and if it all goes pearshaped well, then's the time to spend the money, you learn by doing - sometimes maybe doing it twice. You soon get into the mindset that you can achieve just about anything; time isn't necessarily important and, of course, you end up knowing the thing, literally, inside out.

My rudder, a great deal more basic and heavy than yours, is stripped, patched, splined, filled and just waiting for some parts that I can't make to come back from the blacksmith. I know that when it's eventually finished I'll be confident that it's up to the task and that's what matters.

You've done a great job. I hope you enjoyed the experience and maybe learnt something about yourself at the same time.

 

[Blue5]

A very nice job and photographic record.

 

[Master_under_Dog]

It is clearly not so much a matter of amateur or professional but rather skilled or non skilled. You are very obviously the former. I would have no idea how my rudder was constructed and therefore no idea where to start on rebuilding it. So I would have to rely on the skilled, and since those are not about to volunteer it would be, perforce, professionals.

Respect!

Michael

 

[NorthRising]

Gwaith dda - good work.

J

 

[Searush]

VERY impressive, Mark. Lovely job. How does the new rudder weight compare with the old one when wet? I'll bet it is heavier than the original was new, but I suspect the difference is marginal compared with wet balsa.

 

[Danny Jo]

[ QUOTE ]
How does the new rudder weight compare with the old one when wet?

[/ QUOTE ] The old one was carried into the shed on a forklift truck. I couldn't lift it in one piece, so manoeuvred it onto trestles one end at a time. I can carry the new one single-handed, and I guess it's around 50-60 kg.

Most of the weight in the rebuilt rudder is in the stock. The old rudder not only had wet balsa, but also up to 18mm of (cracked) filler. My helper with the glassing-up stage, a long time Scuttlebutt forumite (or perhaps ex-forumite) who at one time in his youth built surf boards, reckons that the filler had the features of polyester resin. Neither he nor I had tried the dry method of epoxy glassing or used peel ply before, and we were both surprised by how well this system works.

Thank you all for the generous compliments.