Leaking rudder and fairing

[Swenns Dad]

My rudder is seeping water from small holes where previous people have drilled ‘inspection’ holes in the side and the epoxy is not watertight. . The rudder itself is peppered with holes of all sizes and was inspected last year for signs of internal damage, due to a ‘orange’ fluid seen by the surveyor... but was ok. It leaks from 3-4 of these holes.

anyway, I’ve basically been waiting for the rudder to dry while she’s been on pins, having removed the screw plug at the bottom late last year... but theres still water seeping from it and it’s time to get it painted and in the water.

only recently I’ve realised the water may be going down the rudder shaft from the cockpit, as I’d removed the tiller and not plugged the holes up.... doe.

So couple of questions.
1. Any thoughts on the water in the rudder? Should I remove some of the epoxy plugs in the side and try to dry it out
2. The rudder itself is like the surface of the moon... I’m looking for advice on what products are recommended for fairing... would also be useful on the keel too.

Thanks

 

[Stemar]

The "surface of the moon" sounds a bit like a build-up of antifoul. The ideal weapon for removing it is a power scraper, though it can be done by hand. If it's actually the grp that's that rough, I'd be inclined to sand smooth, then epoxy a layer of glass cloth onto it. That will solve the problems of leaking holes as well.

I'm not sure you can keep an old rudder from leaking a bit, especially around the rudder post, but I'd give it a go. In an ideal world, I'd take it off the boat and drill holes top and bottom to allow it to drain. I'd probably flush it with fresh water to chase the salt out, though I'm not sure how much good it would do. Once the bottom hole's dry, fill the holes and cover with epoxy & glass cloth as above.