Leaking rudder

[MagicalArmchair]

When Triola came back out after the Nasa log skin fitting failed (after being in the water for a whole 15 minutes), I noted a lot of water coming from the rudder.

Do I ignore or patch up the hole? Note the stream of water coming from the front edge of the keel.

 

[RichardS]

My rudders leak when removed and inverted and the water runs back down the rudder stock.

I asked the boatyard engineer if that was normal and he said that nearly all GRP rudders which are built on a stainless steel "skeleton" (not the word he used but you get the idea!) will start to leak after a while so don't worry provided the construction has no movement in it, which mine don't.

You could seal the hole in the bottom but if the water is getting down past the shaft like mine it's not going to make much difference I suspect.

However, I'm not a GRP rudder expert, as you can tell!

Richard

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I had that problem (though not so much that the water would stream out) when I had a Centaur. My solution was to drill two 8mm holes, one near the top and one near the bottom. The water inside was then free to drip out. Then, when the boat was due to be put back in the water but before I applied the antifouling I used to plug the two holes with a bit of dowel and seal them with Araldite. I knew where the plugs were and two years later, when the boat came out again, I used to pull the plugs out using a woodscrew and a Mole grip, repeating the same process as before. The water comes in around the rudder stock. I did try some Capt. Tolley liquid at that location but cannot really say that it solved all of the 'problem'.

I must emphasize that, in the case of my rudder, the water used to drip out and not stream. In your case I would look for a larger gap towards the top where the air must be coming into the rudder to replace the water that is coming out.

 

[oldbilbo]

I recall, in part, a solution described on here some years ago which involved excavating a 12mm 'trench' around the join of the rudder-top and the s/s stock, half-filling this trench with suitable Sika or CT1, then sliding a pair of rubber O-rings down the shaft and into the trench. These were pushed in firmly, then a ring of Sika/CT1 was made around the top of this, sealing them in.

Of course, this requires the rudder to be removed, to access the top of the s/s rudder post.

I can't vouch for this myself, but recollect the poster's satisfaction with the result.

 

[Dipper]

I recall, in part, a solution described on here some years ago which involved excavating a 12mm 'trench' around the join of the rudder-top and the s/s stock, half-filling this trench with suitable Sika or CT1, then sliding a pair of rubber O-rings down the shaft and into the trench. These were pushed in firmly, then a ring of Sika/CT1 was made around the top of this, sealing them in.

Of course, this requires the rudder to be removed, to access the top of the s/s rudder post.

I can't vouch for this myself, but recollect the poster's satisfaction with the result.

That was Oldsaltoz's method and it works very well.

My rudder used to do the same as MagicArmchairs as it was always full of water. Eventually the tang welds failed. I think that the constant immersion in salt water hastened their end. When I rebuilt the rudder I epoxied in three lubricated rubber O-rings where the stock entered (and in my case exited) the rudder making six in total. I had to increase the depth of the GRP at this point to make space. I'm sure one ring would have sufficed. At an insurance survey several years later the rudder was found to be dry.

When I rebuilt the rudder I also found leaks all round the edge so these were repaired at the same time.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Thanks all, I'm pretty sure she has always leaked from the rudder since ive had her so, after a year of fiddling, time to ignore this one and go sailing (albiet with a rudder full of water) as the season is nearly upon us. This one can wait 'till next year when my accounts and my will to fiddle has recovered and I come out of the water circa November! No point plugging the hole at the bottom without sorting the hole at the top.

Thanks for the responses, I'll employ the advice post season.