CD-33 Rudder has water inside

[zeida cecilia-mendez]

I just hauled out my CD-33 "Bandolera II" to have her bottom sanded and repainted for the new year, and noticed to my amazement that from the top of the rudder, where the post goes in, a thin but constant stream of water comes out. I caulked this area with 5200 trying to seal the "neck" as best I could, and then the little trickle started coming out from the area right under the propblade, (not by the area where the shaft extrudes from the hull, but directly under the prop blade) and has not stopped yet. There is no obvious perforation there, visible to the eye. This is the 5th day out of the water. It is a very thin trickle, but it tells me that there is water inside the rudder. Has anyone had this type of experience? What can be done if anything? Should I ignore this and put her back in the water like that, or maybe drill a couple of little holes in the bottom, let the thing dry up and then fill the holes, etc.? Would appreciate any comments. Thanks.
Zeida.



zcecil@ibm.net

[Bill Goldsmith]

Zeida:

I'm no expert but I'll relay some advice I've received in the past. There may also be additional discussion of this issue in the archives.

Wet rudders seem to be a very common problem. Yacht club "experts" have told me that even manufacturers with solid reputations (read: Cape Dory) may have built less than perfect rudders. I do not know what the construction is like on the CDs but I'll bet it's darn good. Any other readers' advice in this area would be welcome.

I had some cracks around the area where the shaft enters the top of the rudder on my CD27 last fall at haul-out. As I was concerned about the possibility of a wet rudder, I asked around my club. The advice I got was to drill a couple of 3/8" holes into the bottom of the rudder, and let it dry all winter. After drilling the holes, I got only a couple of drops, but a very strong styrene odor. I will epoxy the holes and the top just before launching in the spring.

You seem to have quite a bit of water in your rudder. What you do to fix it depends on the extent of the damage, if any. If it's just wet, then the drip-dry method should work. On the other hand if the rudder stock has separated from the internal structure, then you may be looking at an extensive repair or rebuild. Nigel Calder recommends the following: "Tie off the wheel or tiller and flex the rudder as hard as possible. If there is any movement between the rudder and the rudderstock the rudder must be replaced immediately. (Note that if water has penetrated a rudder with a stainless steel web, in the de-oxygenated atmosphere inside the rudder corrosion is likely to occur...sooner or later the web will fail." Calder, Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual page 428.

I would strongly recommend having the rudder checked by a fiberglass fabricator experienced with Cape Dorys, because the original construction of the rudder will have a major impact on the decision of what to do. Other readers may be able to shed light on this as well. My recollection is that you are in Florida, meaning that Bandolera II probably spends most of her time in the water. All the more reason to be extremely sure that you put it back in with a dry rudder. I've also been advised that even a custom-built replacement rudder does not have to be a prohibitively expensive job. Fortunately I haven't had to look into this and I hope you don't have to either.

Best of Luck

Bill Goldsmith
CD27
Second Chance
Croton-on-Hudson, NY

I just hauled out my CD-33 "Bandolera II" to have her bottom sanded and repainted for the new year, and noticed to my amazement that from the top of the rudder, where the post goes in, a thin but constant stream of water comes out. I caulked this area with 5200 trying to seal the "neck" as best I could, and then the little trickle started coming out from the area right under the propblade, (not by the area where the shaft extrudes from the hull, but directly under the prop blade) and has not stopped yet. There is no obvious perforation there, visible to the eye. This is the 5th day out of the water. It is a very thin trickle, but it tells me that there is water inside the rudder. Has anyone had this type of experience? What can be done if anything? Should I ignore this and put her back in the water like that, or maybe drill a couple of little holes in the bottom, let the thing dry up and then fill the holes, etc.? Would appreciate any comments. Thanks.
Zeida.

goldy@bestweb.net

[Zeida Cecilia-Mendez]

Bill: Thanks for your very informative reply. Just today I was all day at the marina while they were awlgripping the bootstripe on Bandolera. By now, with her second coat of Trinidad on, you could see depresingly clear, "the blue ooze", which they were also describing on the website. That is what is coming out of the rudder, as well as out of the bottom part of the keel. I have a bunch of minute pinholes, on both sides of the keel, all oozing that blue liquid. When I first e-mailed the web, I thought it would be water. Today I know better. Two fiberglass builders were there with me and explained thoroughly that it is the resin that is sprayed with a spray-gun to help bond the fiberglass with the gelcoat, instead of being applied by hand from a bucket, which prevents air bubbles and inadequate bonding of the different layers. Consequently, the cure for this is stripping the entire keel down to the fiberglass -remove all the gelcoat, etc.- and let it dry for a month...If there no blisters yet on the glass itself, then you put several coats of epoxy to properly seal your fiberglass and then the barrier coat and the antifouling. This is some project! And at a cost of about 5 to 6 thousand $$$. Right now, my pinholes are very tiny, and I hope they can hold until my next haul-out (next year) She is going back in the water tomorrow! I dread to think that she has to go in the water with all that stuff oozing like that, but at this point, I do not have the $$ to do the entire project. Both guys told me that they are almost sure the hull has no blisters at this point. But with the oozing, I will eventually get them unless I can do the entire "cure", like you also say. I will start saving money so on her next haul-out I can tackle this project for good. I am collecting all of the info I can on this subject, so as to be up to date on it as much as possible. Thanks again. Every little bit of advise helps.
Zeida
Bandolera II
CD-33, Key Biscayne, FL.



zcecil@ibm.net

[sam]

I wonder if the 'defect' in the layup is localized. If 90% of the layup is fine and there is only one place that has let water in, should it not be possible to drill and drain it and then epoxy or what ever, that hole??