Author Topic: Rudder repair  (Read 1769 times)

PonoBill

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Rudder repair
« on: August 10, 2009, 01:46:20 PM »
Bent my rudder shaft in the Gorge yesterday. I've seen people straighten rudders on the board--I've done it myself. I think that it's a really bad idea.

I put the rudder in a vise with plywood on both sides clamping pieces of deck pad against the curved rudder sides. Then I slipped a piece of thick wall pipe over the shaft and gently bent it back. Once the shaft was perfectly straight and was turning easily in the post hole without any wobble I chilled the rudder in the refrigerator and immersed it in a old aquarium full of hot water. I figured the cold air would expand from the heat and show any leaks with air bubbles. It bubbled like crazy around the shaft. So I dried it out with vacuum and some heat, gooped it up with epoxy and stuck it back in the vacuum bag and let the air bubble out through the epoxy. As I released the vacuum the epoxy sucked in around the shaft and disappeared. Did it one more time and the epoxy pretty much stayed put. I'll test it later today after its well set, but I bet it's good.

I didn't weigh the rudder before my little process, but it only took up about an ounce of 30 minute epoxy at most.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

 


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