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Hi -This spring I noticed a blister 2/3 of the way down the rudder of my '76 Mark lll. After grinding out a sizeable hole, it appears that moisture has travelled down the rudder post (wheel steering) and wet the area around and below the lower end. Suprising to me was that the last 2 inches of the open post was wet. Also surprising was that there were indications that this had been repaired before.
My questions - what's going on here? Has anyone else had moisture penetrating their rudder from the rudder post? Should the lower open end be vented somehow?
thanks
Last edited by (2008-04-27 12:13:27)
Santeria
Mark lll ;Hull ;#626 - Mahone Bay, NS
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In my experience, virtually every rudder with an embedded rudder post will take in water over the season. It is impossible to maintain a tight seal around the shaft as the rudder flexes under load and the center of most rudders is hollow (usually foam-filled). In our yard, there are two kinds of boats: those whose rudders get drained in the fall and those with rudder problems, such as splitting and cracking. There is also a third category: boats which belong to masochists who pull their rudder every fall and store it indoors. They are a small minority.
Every fall, when we haul my boat out, I drill two 1/4-inch holes in the rudder, one near the top and one near the bottom. This allows it to drain and dry out over the winter. In the spring, I fill the holes with 3-M filler and then make a slight dimple in each hole before I paint the rudder. This dimple allows me to drill in exactly the same place the next fall (don't want no swiss cheese on my boat!). If you are going to do this, bear in mind that the top hole should be far enough back to clear the rudder post and that the bottom hole should be far enough up (3 to 4 inches) to clear the solid bottom portion of the rudder.
Marcus
Carriden, Hull #847, 1980 Mk III
Marcus Opitz,
Formerly from Carriden, Mk III, Hull #847,
now skippering "Everdina," a 1975 Ontario 32
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Same here. Definitely two holes, except, I plug mine with two, round head bolts - siliconed in. Then anti foul the bolt and dried silicone. Take them out in the fall and let gravity take over. On occasion it also won't hurt you to bring it indoors for a winter - I've been the masochist-once
Dean M Baldwin
Morgan "D"
Mark III - Hull 516
Halifax, N.S.
Dean M Baldwin
Morgan "D"
Mark III - Hull 516
North Sydney, N.S.
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Thanks for the info. Drilling and draining will be part of my fall layup for sure. <pre>>Santeria
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<pre>Mark lll
</pre>
<pre>Hull #626
</pre>
Santeria
Mark lll ;Hull ;#626 - Mahone Bay, NS
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