Leaks: rudder, ski platform, driveshaft
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4379
Printed Date: January-16-2025 at 6:55pm
Topic: Leaks: rudder, ski platform, driveshaft
Posted By: tleed
Subject: Leaks: rudder, ski platform, driveshaft
Date Posted: August-05-2006 at 11:26pm
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My 1969 Barracuda leaks. A lot.
Today I filled it up to watch where the water ran out. Eureka! One of the four bolts holding the rudder plate on was about to fall out. The nut and washer were completely off and it was about 2 inches out. This was after 2.5 hours running in the water. That accounts for Leak #1. Leak #2: The ski platform on the driver's side had a steady stream at the bottom. This ski platform has 3 brackets that attach with 3 lag screws each. The brackets are bedded with black adhesive. One of the lag screws is not present on the driver's side and that's where the big leak is. The fix is to take it all loose and re-bed with 3M adhesive? Surely I'm going to find the wood is all rotten and requires lengthy drying and epoxy? This is an off-season fix, huh? The fiberglass around the brackets has spider cracks radiating out from it. Sign of weak wood? Leak #3: Water runs in at the driveshaft. Not a slow drip. Just tighten the nut? How do I know when it's time for a new packing? There were NO leaks around the exhaust outlets, which I cleaned and re-set with high-temp (700-degree) RTV. How long do you think that will last? Didn't seem like the adhesive qualities of that were as important as the sealing ability. |
Replies:
Posted By: The Lake
Date Posted: August-05-2006 at 11:42pm
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Hi Tleed,
David F suggested an adhesive/caulk called "Life Caulk." It's good stuff, I used it when I reset my rudder port and reattached a fin. It will also allow you to get them back off sometime down the road. With the packing nut on the drive shaft: try tightening it until it slows to a slow drip. If the old packing is hard or dried up you can get it out with needle nose pliars or some kind of dental pick. Skidim has new packing, try the teflon stuff or gortex or whatever they call their synthetic packing. How did the old girl run? Chuck ------------- Walk on Water www.coldwater.me http://correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=775&sort=&pagenum=3&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970 - 69 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: tleed
Date Posted: August-05-2006 at 11:49pm
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The old girl ran like Floyd Landis on 'roids.
Much stronger than before. I did a little magic inside and it looks like it really paid off. Not way overboard, but really hopped it up. I especially like the way it pulls from a dead stop. Gets a skier up right away. More top end, too. Gotta get the speedo fixed so I know how much. Thomas |
Posted By: tleed
Date Posted: August-06-2006 at 11:46pm
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Put the rudder bolt back in and tightened the other 3. They were all loose. After a 2-hour run today I noticed the small crack inside behind the rudder plate had gotten larger. This can't be good. The question is: how bad is it?
Anybody else out there had to deal with a rudder trying to break loose from the boat? I'd just like to get a little quality lake time before the season's all over. I'm planning to rip out the bottom over the coming winter and fix all the problems below. Like the leaks, worn carpet, loose ski pole, engine cover with no hinge mounts, etc. Is there such thing as a temp fix? Or am I right to think water pressure is going to crack up the bottom of the boat if I don't do something? Thomas |
Posted By: rmcdonald
Date Posted: August-07-2006 at 3:11am
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Hi Thomas
Have you got a picture of the area that is cracking around the rudder. If you are confident with fibreglass it would not take that long to fix. Regards Rob ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1177 - |
Posted By: tleed
Date Posted: August-07-2006 at 9:22am
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I can do the fiberglass. What I'm really wondering is if there is wood between the inner floor and outer skin that has rotted and needs to be replaced. Which would turn this into a major job...
Don't the four rudder bolts pass through wood that has been exposed to water since they came loose? I'm just recalling the stringers around my motor mounts that were the consistency of rich dark earth when I dug out the mounts last year. Or are you suggesting I just 'glass over the outside where the cracks are? Thomas |
Posted By: rmcdonald
Date Posted: August-08-2006 at 10:08am
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Hi Thomas
I don't know if it is the same on you boat but the section that the rudder post goes through was fairly separate to anything else on the boat. Meaning I could dig out the rotten section completely and not have to keep chasing my tail for a clean section. The rudder post on my Nautique is mounted in a sandwich about 3 to 4 inches of fibreglass and wood. I built it up to this thickness using 1/2 inch plywood then fibreglass layers. Once you get the initial section flat it does not take long to build it up to this thickness. If I where to do it again , I would make a jig up beforehand so that when you drill the 4 bolt holes they go straight & and the rudder post hole. Heres a picture just after I did mine. Regards Rob  ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1177 - |
Posted By: tleed
Date Posted: August-08-2006 at 11:10am
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You've just confirmed what I feared: that's what I meant when I said "major job"! The tank needs to come out to get at it and so on. If I try that I might as well hang up the rest of the summer, which is only about 5-6 weeks. And I just got the boat in the water last Saturday. Hmmm. Let's see: 3 days out of 365 is what percentage?
I'm going to have to pull out my whole floor and replace it this coming winter. I think I'll delay until then. Thomas |
Posted By: rmcdonald
Date Posted: August-08-2006 at 11:28am
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Hi Thomas
My rudder post protrudes through the bottom of the hull about 3/8 of a inch. If yours is the same, its enough to slot in a stiffing plate of some description from the top. This way you can disperse the load thats being put on it. Just thinking out loud. Don't want to see you park it in the shed so soon. Regards Rob ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1177 - |
Posted By: tleed
Date Posted: August-08-2006 at 11:38am
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Aha!
Yes, I like this idea. The outside bottom of the boat is showing no stress yet. An extra, larger stiffening plate above could stop the problem and let me finish the season without doing more damage. I have some plate steel, 1/8 thick. Doesn't have to be pretty. Now where are my tin snips? Thomas |
Posted By: The Dude
Date Posted: August-08-2006 at 12:38pm
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Go Thomas! I hope you can keep going through the end of the year. It's a bummer when she just sits in the garage. Good luck. ------------- Mullet Free since 93 http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=717&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1991&yrend=1995" rel="nofollow - 95 Sport 1978 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: The Lake
Date Posted: August-08-2006 at 5:52pm
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Hey Thomas, I had a similar problem in that my carriage bolts were loose on the rudder port, but I had no stress cracks. I took them out, not a hint of rot so I reinserted them, put some Life Caulk on the outside to keep the water out and double nutted the bolts on the inside.
I'm thinking I'll try (this winter) to get an outside plate for the rudder port and use hex bolts to get a tighter fit. On my 69 I've got enough room to work on the port without pulling that gas tank. Chuck ------------- Walk on Water www.coldwater.me http://correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=775&sort=&pagenum=3&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970 - 69 Ski Nautique |