[Public-List] Rudder

[Gordon Laco]

Hello friends,

When I first owned TOUCH WOOD (a Danish-built Folkboat launched in 1947) her
rudder had been heavily epoxied by the previous owner.  It looked smooth as
a fibreglass boat's rudder for the first three years, but then the epoxy
began cracking and by spring of my fourth year of ownership, was coming off
in brittle sheets.

I found that beneath the epoxy sheathing was the original bronze bound oak
rudder.  I removed all the epoxy tried sheathing it with epoxy and cloth,
reckoning that the cloth would give the sheathing the strength the previous
owner's job had lacked.   It eventually started coming off too.

The lesson I learned was that nothing will stop wood from expanding and
contracting; and it was futile to try to keep the rudder from changes in
humidity (let alone water saturation).

For the rest of the many years I owned TW, I satisfied myself with a proper
wooden rudder finish...namely in the spring it looked a bit like a barn door
due to contraction of the dry wood, but I had faith that once it was soaked
after launch it would swell up again,  and it always did.

I used very thin varnish as a 'sealer' coat applied many times until it
stopped soaking into the wood.  (this was done in the spring of course when
it was as dry as it could be)   Water still got in of course, so it would
swell up, but the sealer coats I applied formed a very good undercoat for
the antifouling paint.

Some years I applied boiled linseed oil thinned 50% with clear wood
preserver.  That seemed to work really well too.  I applied the same mixture
to her inside and out twice a year all the years I owned her.  I think it
may have saved her from worm because when I got her back after swinging at a
mooring in Marathon Florida with no bottom paint on her for several years, I
found no worm damage.  I thought her rudder, keel, sternpost etc would have
been ruined, but she (and I) was very lucky, I've still come across no worm
damage.  Amazing.

So, back to the original topic - how to finish a wooden rudder.... I'd
recommend not trying to make it as smooth as a fibreglass one.  Do what you
can to protect it from deterioration, and love it for what it is, bumps,
cracks and all.

Gord #426 Surprise 


On 02/12/13 2:24 PM, "Glenn" <brooks.glenn at comcast.net> wrote:

> Bill,  
> 
> i rebuilt my fiberglass rudder a couple of years ago, mainly because I didnt
> trust my 45 year old bronze rudder stock.  Turns out it was a needless worry,
> the bronze stock was as good as the day it was laid up inside the FG rudder
> blade.  i replaced the bronze stock anyway and reglassed the rudder back
> together just to have another 45 years of trouble free rudder.
> 
> Not sure what I would do in your case.  My guess is, If you glass over the
> wood it will probably become waterlogged behind the glass sooner than latter
> and the FG will eventually lift off, causing you to wish you 1)  Hadnt glassed
> it to begin with, or 2) replaced it with all new foam core and glass when you
> had the chance the first time around.  So,I think I am voting for a new
> fiberglass rudder blade!  Easy to say as I dont have to dothe work!!  Also I
> wonder if glassing over the wood will cause the wood to rot. Others on the
> list may have first hand experience.  Ive had a number of wood boats, but
> never used FG over wood, except for decks.
> 
> Glenn 
> Dolce 318
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
> On Dec 2, 2013, at 8:21 PM, Bill Woodford
> <williamwoodford at charleswoodford.com> wrote:
> 
>> 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
>> _______________________________________________
>> These businesses support your Association:
>> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
>> Please support them.
>> _______________________________________________
>> Public-List mailing list
>> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
>> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> _______________________________________________
> These businesses support your Association:
> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> Please support them.
> _______________________________________________
> Public-List mailing list
> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org



 1386014509.0