Rudder/ply repair help needed

[David Hughes]

While sailing my new to me CS20 last summer, I noticed that the rudder would not fully deploy using the down haul. It always needed an extra push from above. So in preparation for sailing this year I stripped the rudder and found a partial separation in the ply lamination where the down haul worked into the ply (see photo I hope). Not that big of a deal but it needs to be fixed. The question is what is the best way? I have some ideas but would like to hear yours. Thanks in advance.

[PAR]

Grind it out, fill the area with thickened epoxy, after wetting out any raw wood with straight epoxy first. Once dry, re-machine for the lanyard hole. Silica and wood flour will do for the mix. Toss some milled fibers in for extra strength if you like.

[Peter HK]

I had the same problem. I think it is more likely now that we use non stretch line with small diameters- it cuts through the ply lamination more readily. I have a breakaway cleat on the downhaul and have adjusted it to let go a little earlier.

I repaired it much as Paul described above but did add an extra. My rudder has a routed groove for the downhaul and it split at the base of the groove where it met the drill hole leading to the hole for the knot. At that point where the crack started I drilled a hole through the ply and epoxied in a piece of 6mm pultruded fibreglass rod (very tough stuff), thus preventing the line from easily getting into the laminations. Probably overkill.

Cheers

Peter HK

[PAR]

That was my logic with the milled fibers Peter, to make the mix pretty tough. The lanyard hole and the path tube/groove should be milled over size, then drilled/milled to the size you need, so the line bears on the cured goo, not the plywood.

[David Hughes]

Thanks. Better then my ideas. I'll let you know how it works out. Btw sorry for the double photos.

[Alan Stewart]

On your repair, what PAR said.

On breakaway cleats, I stopped trusting them on the Everglades Challenge when one failed to release and snapped the couple year old downhaul line as the boat came to a screeching hault. No rudder in the dark in a narrow channel against the current is not a fast way To sail.

I still believe they can be setup properly if close attention is paid to the mounting of the cleat angled up so the line is pulling the hinged part up. But I've used bungee for all my rudders since.

On the CS 20, three strands of 1/4 good quality bungee on a loop lashed together at the end was just right. Tie that in line with the downhaul. It runs along the tiller and a cam cleat near the end of the tiler cleats the downhaul. You can pull the rudder down then pull on some bungee tension to give some down pressure.

Running aground with this system also does not force the helmsman to do anything immediately. He may be doing something else equally important! And in fact most times shallow patches don't last and when the deep water comes up the rudder snaps right back down where it should be.

On the Tybee 500 we used to bungee our rudders down on the nara 20 (jellyfish preventers) because a jellyfish at 15 knots will take the leeward rudder up in a flash and then someone has to go fix it. That gets old real fast.

[David Hughes]

Alan

Thanks the bungee rigging sounds like a good alternative but I can't seem to wrap my head around it. Could you possibly post maybe a picture or sketch?

[Alan Stewart]

Here is a drawing of the bungee way.

[David Hughes]

Got it. Thanks again.

[David Hughes]

Why not add ballas to the rudder to keep it down instead of a down haul?

[Scott Dufour]

I like Alan's setup.  With the centerboard on a shock cord also, I now have two depth sensors.

 

 

David:

It's pretty common for sand and grit to get into the rudder cheeks and resist gravity.  With the bungee system, you can apply more force if necessary to get the rudder down, then ease off once it's there.  If the rudder's really resistant, you can pull the downhaul line on the rudder side of the bungees so you don't have the springiness to deal with getting it down.

[Alan Stewart]

Also bungee is much lighter than lead!

[Dnjost]

Fascinating.  The venerable Enterprise had a shock cord downhaul, and a line for an uphaul.  All went well until the shockcord stretched.  Then, the most enormous weather helm would develop.  Check it often.