TheFloatingBear wrote:I’m new to the forum and new owner of a Spindrift Daysailer 1.
Welcome to the forum!
TheFloatingBear wrote:Its rudder has some significant delamination that appears to have been repaired before. Rather than start a new thread, I'll add to a similar one
Yep, you found a close match. Let's look at your variant of this issue.
TheFloatingBear wrote:Prior to my taking ownership it had been sitting over the winter with the rudder in the cockpit and covered by a tarp. I figured I should tackle the repair now before getting it wet again. After drilling holes to repair per the
West Sytems Guide it's apparent the core is both still damp, and slightly deteriorated in spots. I can hear loose bits shaking around inside near the bottom third. (Anyone have a weight for a dry rudder?)
The stock rudder is really heavy; with the weight where it hurts: at the transom. And it is hydronamically a disaster zone (no foil shape). Just saying.
That out of the way, I wouldn't worry about the foam's condition other than trapped water. (And the idea of not letting any more water getting in there is good).
TheFloatingBear wrote:Ultimately, it looks like I'll have to remove the skin and replace the core or just build a new rudder. However, I'd really like to get sailing sooner than later. But drying out the current core to inject epoxy or doing the proper core replacement sounds like it could take me awhile.
There's not enough "there" in the existing rudder to make it worth rebuilding or restoring to factory conditions. There are some band aids that will allow you to get sailing, while you explore your options re: building a full replacement.
For a quick repair the ultimate goal is to get the rudder watertight, and to structurally connect the two halves of the skin.
Forget about half of all the stuff that's in the West System manual. (But the other half still applies). So, let's walk you through it.
First the split:
1) define a repair area 1-2" around the split and tape around it
2) grind away any gelcoat and not very much of the laminate, if any
3) taper this a bit towards the edges of your repair, but forget about 1 in 12 bevels
4) apply 2-3 layers of glass cloth, going up and to and a bit over the tape
5) use neat epoxy West System is fine, I tend to use SystemThree SilverTip, you can also use MAS.
5) be sure to follow instructions on measuring and mixing to the letter! Each manufacturer's epoxy may have different ratios and ratios vary whether determined by volume or weight.
6) I found pre-printed measuring cups for medicines work best for me for small batches.
7) before full cure, trim the larger parts of any excess
after the cure, sand things smooth. (Dont' worry if there's bump; this is a temporary repair).
9) after a few days, spraypaint with auto paint to cover the epoxy against UV
(don't leave the rudder in the water except when sailing)
Deal with any other small cracks / splits the same way, esp. if they can admit water. (If there are areas of extended gelcoat cracks, scuff sand those and cover with neat epoxy as a barrier against water).
The pivot:
1) get a nylon bushing (optional)
2) drill out the hole a bit wider than needed.
3) fill with structural filler
4) you can make your own from bits of glass fibers mixed with epoxy, or buy a can of 3M High Strength Marine filler (polyester-based, but works well for this application).
5) drill out the hole to fit the bushing (or the bare bolt)
6) no need to paint, there's not going to be UV damage
These quick repairs will get you on the water with minimal delay. The rudder will be functional.
I would not bother with "injecting epoxy" or any other attempts at improving the core of that rudder (other than very locally around the pivot, but even there just enough to seal it).
I would not spend "months" trying to dry this thing and definitely would not experiment with heat. The goal is to seal it up "as is" and be able to splash it without making the situation worse.
Instead, focus your energies on plans for a new rudder. The effort for that is less than for some of the "rebuild" scenarios you threw out here. It will take a few weekends, but mainly because you'll need to wait for things to cure at various stages, the biggest part of the actual work is the final surface preparation (sanding, fairing and painting).
You might want to consider whether to rebuild the rudder head at the same time (I did), and whether you'd want to beef that one up. Recommended for expedition-style sailing. My own project is described in "
Building a Rudder". This rudder has worked well for several seasons now. See the update in the last post in that thread.