Wooden Rudder Stock for SeaMaster - What wood?

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daveheaddon

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Folks,

My rudder took a battering a while back while I was moored (and away!) alongside a pontoon in Falmouth. The collision wrecked the top of the rudder stock and I'm replacing it now.

The stock is made up of three 'layers' of wood bonded vertically. The middle section extends down to the rudder blade itself but both of the outer sections are broken away at the top 10 or so inches.

Question is.....the wood looks like Mahogany. Does it matter if the wood I replace it with is different? Is it likely to be mahogany or something else? The wood is quite red in colour.

Any other tips appreciated!
 
Iroko would be good. I have used it on a small boat to deepen the keel as well as to make an entire rudder. It takes resorcinol glue very well - as well as varnish and paint. It tends to darken with exposure to sunlight. The bow plank on my present boat (where the Bruce anchor lives) is made of iroko.
 
The outer sections were quite light coloured on mine which I replaced a few years ago (rot by the tiller), so not sure they are mahogany.
To answer your question any strong 'marine' wood would do (teak, mahogany, iroko, etc), I seem to remember my replacement outer sections were made from teak - just make sure you're are sitting down when you read the quotes!! Making the outers cheeks from a wide single plank was too expensive so I had a joint, and it has lasted +4years without issue
 
Thanks Puff & Warren.....I'll hunt down some Iroko or Mahogany. I have already had difficulty finding anything with the right dimensions so I guess I'll be joining two bits as well !

Thanks for the comment on glue....that was going to be a follow-up question !
 
Do you have a SeaMaster Warren? I've seen some rot on the top of the 'cheeks' so I imagine it's a regular failure (fresh/salt water ingress).

How is the top half of the rudder/stock finished? Mine is varnished and I wonder whether the varnish takes well to the wood as it always seemed to peel? I may go for Iroko as Puff says.....perhaps it's less oily?
 
I would look at using Greenheart - much more durable than Iroko or Mahogany and much cheaper.
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Iroko or good quality Mahogony type such as Khaya or Sapele will be fine. If you go for Iroko have it machined to size as it can be a bit unstable when first cut because of interlocking grain. The easiest glue to use for a one off is a polyurethane such as Balcaton.
 
What's wrong with a decent marine ply? Built up to the right thickness & shaped to highlight the plies as thin stripes, ply can look really nice, lasts well and is dead cheap & easy to source & work.
 
OK if you have off cuts, but not worth buying a sheet. Solid is more common and no worries about delamination if your protective coating is less than perfect.
 
Yes, I have a Seamaster Sailer 23. I think rainwater runs down the tiller and into the joint with the rudder stock which eventually causes it to rot.
After I got the new cheeks made I used the Burgess stuff - the name eludes me (top gloss?) which was water based but faded, and turned opaque. So I just painted over it with Toplac (white gloss). I suspect varnish lifting on a good well prepared substrate seems to have more to do with varnish thickness, as the bits with +5 coats seems to last in my experience. Not quite sure why though!!!
If you have a Sailer 23, I am interested in the mainsheet traveller, as I just have the horse over the tiller, and wondered how the mainsheet block position could be controlled whilst underway
 
Ply is great, but half the grain is going in the wrong direction if bending stress is an issue. My vote is iroko and recorcinol. Degrease the wood with acetone just before gluing.
A
 
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