Lots of us have rudders that are less than perfectly water tight. Many people either drill a hole in the bottom so it can drain, and patch it every spring, or install a permanent drain plug. The main worry is to not let the water freeze in there.
There is a C&C 38 at a marina here that was discovered upon haul out to have dropped one half of the rudder skin in the water. The exact time or place that this occurred is unknown, and the boat has sat for over a year now while the owner contemplates his next move. Water freezing over the winter is suspected to have played a role, but the particular nature of the damage is due to the fact that the rudder construction included two half skins that were glued together. The rudder on my 27 seems to be constructed in the same fashion, and water drips out of a crack in the seam every fall. The water eventually stops dripping, so I figure that it is self draining, but I have often wondered if it wouldn't be better to "skin" the rudder seam with fibreglass matt and try to fair it smooth afterward. Seeing that 38 sitting there with half a rudder has made me think more seriously about preventative measures but I have not done anything about it so far. Steve Thomas C&C27 MKIII Port Stanley, ON -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com]On Behalf Of David Donnelly Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 9:46 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Stus-List Rudder Damage and possible blister Upon haul out a week ago I noticed a prior repair that was made to the rudder but has now given way. I don't know how I missed it on purchase but there was brand new bottom paint which must have concealed it enough. In any case it is now mine to deal with. It seemed to weep water for a few days and had the copper (or what looks like it) from the VC17 coming out. Most likely this is rust though.I have a link to the photos. http://www.flickr.com/photos/97287685@N03/10300503673/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/97287685@N03/10300359555/ Using Google I found a few hits with some similar repairs and horror stories. I am ASSuming that it is fiberglass over foam. The foam is probably soaked and I was considering drilling some small holes near the bottom to see what drains out. I guess the real concern is not fixing the area it is what damage may have occurred from water being in there and corroding the post. In addition I found 2 other small areas that look like they were repaired on the hull but now the repair looks to have degraded. I don't have enough experience to know what a blister looks like but there is a picture of this too. http://www.flickr.com/photos/97287685@N03/10300484023/ I have hammered all around the areas of both the rudder and the hull and everything seems sound. I think the rudder is toast. What may be my options for this. And of course the blister. Regards, David Donnelly C&C 26 Mistress _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
