Ye ole Barn Door Rudder

[navigator]

SCOUT came out of the water for the first time in 2 years and there was only one surprise - other than the bottom being surprisingly clean. Have a look, I'm hoping that some peanut butter is the best solution. Taking this rudder off could lead to a few more surprises.

[bcooke]

I bet you could do nothing and it would be fine.

Personally, I don't like sticking goop inside something that is going to swell and shrink. The goop either doesn't stay long after a couple of squeeze/release cycles or the wood breaks up when the pressure from swelling against the goop gets too strong.

There are more knowledgeable wooden boat people around the forum here these days though.

-Britton

[Hirilondë]

Even though the rudder gets wet and stays that way all season/year/whatever; goop will likely cause more problems than it resolves as Britton has mentioned. If you dry the wood enough to get the filler to adhere well then the swelling shortly after launching will likely crush the nearby wood.

If the rudder is sound except in that one area, you might want to consider a dutchman glued in with epoxy and sandwiched in by mortised in bronze straps.

[Figment]

Taking this rudder off could lead to a few more surprises.

More surprising than the discovery that most of the rudder has found its own way off while sailing a gusty reach?

The pics tell us a little, but what's really needed is a pick. Some poking with a sharp icepick will tell a lot more about the condition of the wood.

(what kind of boat is SCOUT?)

[Duncan]

You KNOW you want a new rudder. Once Murphy gets it in his head that you looked at it and didn't do it...
It's like reefing, right?

[Tim]

Don't goop it. That's a bandaid "fix" that will hurt more than help.

How sound is the wood? As Figment said, you need to stick an icepick or awl in there and figure out if the rudder is sound, or punky.

If you need to repair that section, it'd be far superior to scarf in a new piece of wood. My gut feeling is that unless the rudder is punky, you could probably do nothing with that crack. At first glance, it doesn't seem overly alarming from here. The whole rudder looks to be in good shape, other than that crack.

But the photos alone don't tell the story. A lot of terrible looking wood rudders are still very strong and effective. Don't let looks along scare you. People still get scared looking at the incongruous wooden rudders on otherwise fiberglass boats, but most of the time the rudders are in far better shape than people think. That said, any wood rudder requires careful inspection to ensure that it is truly in good condition.

Overall, that rudder looks decent, but without being there it's impossible to tell the character of the wood. You don't want to risk complete rudder failure, but also shouldn't get overly concerned until evidence tells you to be concerned. A methodical and objective inspection of the entire rudder and shaft is in order to help you determine your best course of action.

From the look of your rudder and shaft design, it doesn't appear that that crack would cause the complete failure of the rudder if the whole piece suddenly split off. The straps above would hold things together (unless the whole structure is unsound). This doesn't mean you should ignore a potential problem, but perhaps it helps put things into perspective to assist you in figuring out what to do.

[navigator]

Thanks for the input. So far adding new wood makes the most sense.

Dunc, Mr. Murphy has come and gone.

Fig, apparently, I have two logins here...on other boards, I'm Navigator, I thought I was only SCOUT here but out of habit logged in with Navigator and only today do I realize I have both....so, in answer to your Q...Pearson Invicta. Ding ding ding?

[jollyboat]

Scout/Navagator - Your rudder is made of Mahagany. It is built in sections just like on a wooden boat and pinned with bronze drifts as well as strapped via the pintals. Nan, give me a call and I will give it a look see me self. Just rebuilt the rudder on JOLLYBOAT. Check your PMs I left some contact info for you. PS I am hard to get in touch with outside of work as I am on the phone for 50 hours a week and ignor my own phone because I can - give me a call at the office. 203 375 -2626 I will bring the beer. Griff