inair
03-22-2012, 11:30 AM
I posted some time back some questions with pics as I was removing my rudder and trying to decide what to do about it. Thanks to all the good info here, I ended up buying a new rudder from DIM and am finally getting started on the install.
As I am tearing it apart I'm trying to understand what I'm looking at and since there are some experienced folk here, maybe you've seen it before and can help me make sure of what is going on:eek:
So I've taken off the rudder and the through hull hardware. Now there is a built up pad around the area, I assume to distribute the forces generated by rudder action. It looks like a piece of glassed in plywood. I poke it a bit and dark water leaks out of an area where the glass is thin enough to puncture easily. So I tear off the plywood and find that the plywood pad is hollowed out in the middle to accomodate an area of thick (3/8"?) resin around the rudder hardware holes that is uneven in shape. It seems weird but not impossible to have been done this way at the factory, but maybe more likely done as a repair some time later?
Has anyone done this repair? If so, what does the area look like and how did you fix it? I'm thinking to grind off all that built up resin and start with a fresh glassed in pad for the new hard ware. The thing that concerns me is that if the built up area was done that way from the factory, they may have had a reason for it? I don't know much about how these things were built so any input will be useful.
What do you think? I'll try to post a pic as soon as I can.
Thanks
As I am tearing it apart I'm trying to understand what I'm looking at and since there are some experienced folk here, maybe you've seen it before and can help me make sure of what is going on:eek:
So I've taken off the rudder and the through hull hardware. Now there is a built up pad around the area, I assume to distribute the forces generated by rudder action. It looks like a piece of glassed in plywood. I poke it a bit and dark water leaks out of an area where the glass is thin enough to puncture easily. So I tear off the plywood and find that the plywood pad is hollowed out in the middle to accomodate an area of thick (3/8"?) resin around the rudder hardware holes that is uneven in shape. It seems weird but not impossible to have been done this way at the factory, but maybe more likely done as a repair some time later?
Has anyone done this repair? If so, what does the area look like and how did you fix it? I'm thinking to grind off all that built up resin and start with a fresh glassed in pad for the new hard ware. The thing that concerns me is that if the built up area was done that way from the factory, they may have had a reason for it? I don't know much about how these things were built so any input will be useful.
What do you think? I'll try to post a pic as soon as I can.
Thanks