Rudder Play

Okay. So, I finally got this all disassembled and the rudder removed from the boat. Rudder port is also out. The good news is that the rudder port and rudder are in excellent condition. No issues there, whatsoever.

Now, for the issues. I didn't check to see who speculated what the issue might be, but, they were spot on.   The wood sammiched between the fiberglass is shot. Gonzo. It was crumbled.   Pictures posted of what I have now.

What is my next step? I have a feeling this is now going to be fairly involved. I don't really care for any comments saying the boat is shot, or I shouldn't do it, or any of that. I need solutions or how anyone may go about getting this fixed and strengthened. This is my boat and only option for boating this summer. Unfortunately, a new G series is not in the budget. Nor is a replacement late 80's Martinique B/R...

My initial reaction is to:
1. Get the dremel out
2. Cut out a square (much larger than the rudder port square size), not through the bottom layer of glass though
3. Put in some marine grade wood in the cut out square
4. Epoxy/silicone the crap out of it
5. Drill the holes for the rudder port bolt holes/rudder shaft hole
6. Re-fiberglass the thing on the top layer
7. Reinstall rudder port and rudder while using enough A4200 Marine Adhesive.

I am a little stressed about this now. Any and all help would be super appreciated. Thank you all in advance!

Did the previous owner say that it “may need a new steering cable”? LMAO.

Most thorough stringer threads here include the replacement of hardware backers etc... check those for how-to’s.

TRBenj wrote: Did the previous owner say that it “may need a new steering cable”? LMAO. Most thorough stringer threads here include the replacement of hardware backers etc... check those for how-to’s.

No mention of that. I am certain the seller would have been more than willing to disclose any knowledge of things in need of repair. Have continued to keep in contact with him and would definitely offer his knowledge.

Is this one of those things that should be done while in there messing with all of this? I have done minimal reading on this process, but have seen it mentioned in other threads. Didn't think it to be an issue at the time. Might be more of one now. One step at a time, one breath at a time.

Lol. That makes me rest easy. Yes, no problems with steering last summer. I think I will just wait on that upgrade.

Thanks!

I'm only aware of 2 companies who make a CPES product,Smiths and Git Rot. There may be others but those two are good.
You need to post pictures before you go any further,you will need to get all the wood out that supports that rudder port and replace it with new.

Thank you for the tip! I saw Smith's, but will check it against the "Git Rot." (Also just saw email notification of another response-- I will check out the other suggestions, too.)

I will get pictures out as well. I have all of the wood out that is around that rudder port area. Not sure what is worse at this point -- dealing with rust on cars or rotten boat wood, lol.   

shierh wrote: I used coosa board in place of the wood.   ground area up to the stringers and tied it all in and filled any pocket that was aft of the rudder post so water would not sit there any longer.   My layup was way over kill but at least it wont fail.

Do you happen to have any pictures from your repair? Interested in this idea.

Thanks!

Morfoot wrote: I didn't use coosa but aircraft flooring panels in my rebuild on my mustang.

Too bad we all don't have access to "obtaining" the panels.

beardo73 wrote: Thank you for the note! I am having trouble viewing pictures from that thread... I will play with some things here in a bit to try and view them. But, I am liking this idea of the coosa/HDPE options more and more.

I wouldn't recommend the HDPE. It will not bond.

Hi there, I have a similar issue with my 75 Southwind 20. I removed the rudder and rudder port today and luck was on my side the wood is okay. What I saw was a bit of water around the base of the rudder port while the boat was on the trailer. What seems to have happened is that the bedding material failed. Can't complain about that after 45 years. I spoke to Correct Craft support and Steve told me they use Sikaflex-291 White Polyurethane Adhesive.   Ordered that also through Amazon. I am also going to be injecting some get rot just to be sure.

Regards,

Gary

If you are answering my post, I have already ordered what I need. Thank you though.

oldskiboat wrote: Hi there, I have a similar issue with my 75 Southwind 20. I removed the rudder and rudder port today and luck was on my side the wood is okay. What I saw was a bit of water around the base of the rudder port while the boat was on the trailer. What seems to have happened is that the bedding material failed. Can't complain about that after 45 years. I spoke to Correct Craft support and Steve told me they use Sikaflex-291 White Polyurethane Adhesive.   Ordered that also through Amazon. I am also going to be injecting some get rot just to be sure. Regards, Gary

I have read a lot of good things about Git Rot. Will be looking for some when I get my mess sorted a bit better.

Also worth noting -- the bottom glass is not cracked in the rear. It looks like it, but it is all good there. It looks like it could have been an uneven pour of resin/fiberglass on the mold or something like that. Should I level that up before continuing with repairs?

Thanks!

https://www.westsystem.com/instruction-2/
Take a look at these guides. The boat construction book talks about layups, fillets, thickeners, and all sorts of info that will help you understand the product.
Packing tape is another great tip as you can peel the tape right off after epoxy is hard. You may want to oversize and countersink both sides of your plywood’s holes then re-drill. This would completely seal your wood and is a trick described in the fasteners section. These methods apply to “fiberglassing” in general.

Thank you all for the tips! Much appreciated. I have worked with fiberglass in the past, but only on cars. I have complete faith in the system, but there is a part in the back of my mind that says if it isn't watertight -- or strong enough... The boat will be at the bottom of the river    But, I'm sure we will be good with all of the tips on here. Planning on getting it all started this weekend.

Few questions, though.

1. Should I still coat the ply in CPES even though it is already treated?

2. When I mate the new ply to the bottom fiberglass, would Tiger Hair be an appropriate product? Plan was to put Tiger Hair down, place ply in, put weights on ply to get it down, let it cure.

3. How many coats of resin/fiberglass matting (pieces will be bigger each time) should go on top of the newly installed ply?

Thank you all again for your contributions! Last night I got the bottom resin/fiberglass all scored up and ready. I used acetone to clean it, but will do that again before we start the fun stuff.

Happy Friday!