Rudder Cracked Today

Cindy Taylor

Cindy Taylor

Member
Today as I was putting my boat into the water, the stern hit a fixed dock and I heard a crack. Not good.... I looked at it an saw a crack in my rudder leading to the screw hole that attaches the tiller. So, now I am in the market for a new rudder and I might as well get the new plastic one. Is the hardware on the wooden rudder directly transferable to the plastic one? I'm hoping so since there is a price difference of $70 for the blade verses the rudder assembly complete.

Has anyone upgraded their rudder yet?
 
I talked to Shawn Burke from Vanguard on Labor Day and Andy at Tackle Shack and was told that it did fit the same cheek pieces as the wood ones.

Did you get out on the water with a spare rudder.

Say Hello to all our friends that were already out on the water for us.

Fairwinds
 
Cindy Taylor said:
... Is the hardware on the wooden rudder directly transferable to the plastic one? ....

Has anyone upgraded their rudder yet?
Click to expand...

Yes I have. I tried both the older die-cast and current issue plastic
rudder cheeks on for size. Both translated onto the new rudder just fine.
 
Brian Weeks IIRC did a great article on repairing/reinforcing rudders some years ago in the Windward Leg. You can order a copy from the class office.
20 bucks or so to refit the wood rudder; against, what is it, $175 for a plastic one that might have all the strength of the plastic dagerboard tip.
 
At some point in the past I explained how I repair such a rudder using 3/8s dowels and some epoxy glue. You'll need the help of a dowling jig. Of course it would be a bit easier if you recognized the problem before the rudder becomes completely broken. Cost of materials, $3-4.00.

Al Courtines [email protected]
 
THE COOKIE PIMP said:
Did you get out on the water with a spare rudder.
Fairwinds
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info...

No, I did not borrow a rudder. Since the winds were about 20 mph, gusting to 25, I did not want to risk breaking someone else's equipment.
 
Al Court said:
At some point in the past I explained how I repair such a rudder using 3/8s dowels and some epoxy glue. You'll need the help of a dowling jig. Of course it would be a bit easier if you recognized the problem before the rudder becomes completely broken. Cost of materials, $3-4.00.
Click to expand...

Hi Al,

I tried find your previous post in the Sunfish Forum and in the Sunfish listserve but could not. Where did you post this? My husband is quite handy and has a workshop full of woodworking tools so I should try the repair option first. Have you successfully used rudders that have been repaired with your method that were cracked? I would worry about the rudder holding up in heavy air days, but that is because I don't know any better.

Cindy
 
Most cracks I would fix with glass, But your crack is at the worst place possible. I might fix and keep it as an extra. I would not feel safe sailing in winds over 10-12 with a repaired rudder. You do not need to be in a race and having to think if it will hold up.

P.S. who won ?
 
I would never repair a cracked rudder with glass. That's a band-aid approach. My repaired rudders hold up to winds up to 25mph and last for years. I now incorporate these reinforcements in the rudders I make.
 
From Al Court:

Re: Is a cracked rudder blade a common failure?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following is how I fixed my cracking rudder and I got another 25 years out of it. No need to mess with fiberglas. Using a doweling jig, available at your local woodworking store, drill 2-3 deep holes on the back edge of the rudder, 3/8 diameter, on both sides of the hole(s) where the bolts and pin go through. Prepare the wooden pins from a standard 3/8 dowel and glue with epoxy. You will notice the factory installed a metalic pin here as well,( I've never heard of anyone speak of this pin ) which appears to be insufficient in preventing these splits. All the new rudders I make now incorporate these dowel pins. This is a problem I don't expect to ever have to deal with again. Feel free to contact me regarding any questions you may have on making this repair. Al Courtines [email protected]

From Supercub..
Check page 344 of the Sunfish Bible for repairs to different types of rudder cracks and other rudder problems due to wear. SF Bible is available through the SF Class page. Good Luck.

From Supercub
Go to West Systems Epoxy web page (http://westsystems.com) look for the users manual and about 3/4s down the page, it will tell you how to apply the glass cloth to your blade. Surface preperation is important and is explained earlier in the article. To get glue into the crack, some people use a cyanoacrylate (instant) glue if the crack is tight. This thin glue will wick its way into the crack. If the crack is open, sqeeze a little epoxy into the crack and clamp until set, wipeing off any squeeze out. Then you can cover the blade with fiberglass. If you want to further reinfoce the crack, pg 344 of the SF Bible has suggestions. If you get epoxy into the bolt holes, no problem, just drill out the holes as you put the hardware back on. Wrapping the blade with fiberglass in legal per the ISCA rules. A few coats of varnish over the fiberglass will protect the fiberglass from UV rays. Good luck.

From me:
The rudder blade should be able to be repaired as good, if not better than new. If you husband is handy, this is EASY and CHEEEEEP = good.
 
Tim Polaski said:
From me:
The rudder blade should be able to be repaired as good, if not better than new. If you husband is handy, this is EASY and CHEEEEEP = good.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tim for finding all of the references. I did try a search but did not find the repair information. My husband is very handy and we are going to try to fix it.
 
Cindy,

We broke and repaired the rudders on both our Sunfish the first year and they have not broken again.

Basically I opened up the crack as far as possible. In one case it was in two pieces so that was easy. I used West Epoxy for the glue and clamped front to back with 3 pipe clamps but also used blocks of wood and C-clamps to keep it straight. Wax paper will keep the wood blocks from sticking to the rudder.

After gluing, I drilled a 1/4" hole for & aft just above the pivot bolt and inserted a length of 1/4" SS threaded rod which I covered in epoxy before inserting. I would do this part on any rudder before it breaks.

After that, I sanded and revarnished the rudders and you really have to look hard to find the crack.
 
Hello,
My rudder broke completly off from were the tiller fastens to it.
I think one of the reasons is has the old rudders age, the metal pin rusts and splits the wood apart. Would it be a good idea to just drill the old pin out and replace it with wood or put epoxy in it ? I think it is about 2 inches long ,with a long taper to it.
Thanks in advance,
greywaterman
 
Both our rudders split from the pivot bolt and the original pin does nothing to help that. Its too high and too short. I think you need to add a longer rod that is either just above or just below the pivot bolt. Mine is 6inches long and runs almost the full width of the rudder.
 
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