[Public-List] Rudder

[Bill Woodford]

Greetings all!

I  removed the wooden rudder on US 11 this fall.  Although the rudder was
still performing and contrary to my normal thinking of "if it ain't broke,
don't fix it,"  I had unsettling thoughts about the continued life of the
rudder.  A 3" chunk of wood was missing and it appeared that a previous
owner had endeavored to effect some repair in this regard.

I am soliciting suggestions/opinions about repair v. replacement of the
rudder.  I am interested to hear from fellow sailors who have made repairs
or replaced their rudder and what results they have experienced.

My initial thought was to let the wood dry out and epoxy or glass over the
existing wood.  I can't tell for sure whether the rudder is teak or
mahogany.  A local craftsman believes the wood is teak.


In the removal process, a gudgeon/pintal was bent beyond future usability.
 Any thoughts on where to obtain replacement of the gudgeon and pintal?

As always, thank you.

Woody
US 11