Leaking rudder - 2001 Super Air

Hello all,

My rudder is leaking at the bottom of the rudder port. I can see water seeping up by the base where the shaft meets the bottom plate. It almost looks like there is some sort of seal or gasket between the post and the plate. Do you think the rudder port needs to be resealed from below?



Any thoughts?

D

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the prompt reply. The water is seeping up at the bottom of the post where the arrow indicates. Its at that point I can see some sort of black material between the plate and the post. Could that be the original bedding compound or something within the unit itself?

Also, i hit something last week at idle speed. It was enough to bend the prop and it also looked like the bottom of the rudder made an impact though it was barely a scratch. The problem has resulted from this event.

Darren.

Darren,
I recommend pulling it totally apart and inspecting all the components, strut, prop-shaft, alignment, rudder packing, etc. You are going to have the prop repaired or replaced anyway, right? I think you should remove the rudder housing and inspect the cavity and the inside hull to make sure there isn't and damage to the mounting area, inside and outside. There is likely no damage but it would be good to verify that. Probably just disassemble, cleanup and reassembly.
Clean all the surfaces and reinstall with 4200. The boat will be out of commission for a few days as the 4200 sets unless you get the fast curing type, which is usually available at Lowes or Home Depot.
Since the boat weights a significant amount, even a slow speed strike can inflict a lot of damage. The season is still early - you have the time to do it right. If she were mine, I would use this opportunity to at least check the run-out of the prop-shaft, and alignment to the transmission, but would likely inspect the strut, install a new cutlass bearing and reseal the mount as well.
If the leak was caused by the strike there may be more things wrong. If the leak was simply caused by the age of the sealant or improper application of sealant then the strut may also need to be resealed since it was likely installed at the same time by the same person with the same tube of sealant.

Yeah, that all makes sense. I did take the boat out the following day and changed the prop. I didn't see any damage anywhere else and ended up using the boat the following day with no issues or vibrations what so ever so hopefully there is no major damage. I'll pull it out next weekend and have a closer look.

Thanks for the replies,

Darren.

Watauga wrote: Darren, I recommend pulling it totally apart and inspecting all the components, strut, prop-shaft, alignment, rudder packing, etc.

While I agree on pulling the port I think it's a little extreme to do all the above,he was only at idle. Sure he could check alignment,PCM recommends to do so every time a boat is launched -- who's doing that? If it was me,check the alignment,fix the port and if it's running smooth forget it.

Gary S wrote: Watauga wrote: Darren, I recommend pulling it totally apart and inspecting all the components, strut, prop-shaft, alignment, rudder packing, etc. While I agree on pulling the port I think it's a little extreme to do all the above,he was only at idle. Sure he could check alignment,PCM recommends to do so every time a boat is launched -- who's doing that? If it was me,check the alignment,fix the port and if it's running smooth forget it.

Idle speed is no indication of damage potential. I was just out of idle and tagged a rock moving around 4 mph before and murdered the prop, pulled the strut out of the hull and bent it. The fact that the rudder is leaking now is a sign that giving it a good look would be time well spent.

2001SAN wrote: no issues or vibrations what so ever so hopefully there is no major damage. I'll pull it out next weekend and have a closer look. Darren.

Darren,
No vibrations is NOT an indication there's nothing wrong. If something is bent, it's in a bind that sometimes will hide vibration.

DO A ALIGNMENT!!

74Wind wrote: does anyone know where I might find a rudder schematic for a 75 Century?

Jeff,
???

Jeff,
You are correct in comparing the rudder port to the prop shaft packing gland. It's just in a different position. If the rudder still moves freely and there is no visible damage, try tightening up the packing. Since the rudder isn't constantly turning like the prop shaft is, you can tighten it pretty good without worries of heating. If it still leaks, then pull it apart and repack it.

Darren,
A multi tool (Fein or similar) with a knife blade works pretty good since you can get into a recessed pocket of a strut. Then switch to the sanding pad.,

Pete, can you stick up a pic of the type of blade you mean? I can get hold of this but it's listed as a scraper as opposed to a knife.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-hcs-flexible-scraper-blade/89585

Great. Thanks Pete.