In article , IanM wrote:
Justin C wrote:
In article , Dave wrote:
On Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:44:58 -0000, Justin C
said:

Has anyone here experience of water in the rudder? What are the
implications of this happening?

The only issue is the tangs on the shaft assuming a stainless shaft.
There have been incidents where either the tangs inside the rudder have
been made from mild steel rather than stainless or an incorrect filler
rod was used and the tangs have rusted through at the root leading to
the rudder being free to rotate on the shaft and obviously total
steering failure.

IMO if the drained water is rusty or there is any significant rust weep
at any existing drip or rust weeps from the drilled drain hole or if
any movement between the rudder and shaft is detected when the wheel or
tiller is tied off and the blade is waggled forceably, something nasty
is probably happening inside the rudder. Options then include cutting
one or more inspection holes in one side of the blade and glassing it up
again afterwards, or various *expensive* non-destructive or minimally
destructive imaging systems that may well still leave you with
insufficient information to assess its safety or plan a repair strategy.

Repair could be handled by *any* competent yard and is difficult but
possible DIY if you have enough experience with GRP work and take the
metalwork to a pro. Specify recessed fillets of a resilient underwater
sealant where the shaft penetrates the rudder shell. GRP directly bonded
to stainless will crack at or near the join from thermal expansion
issues alone.

OTOH if there is no evidence of rust and no class history of rudder
problems its just drain and check annually when hauling out to prevent
frost damage while ashore.

The class association if there is one and/or detailed builder's plans
would be a big help.

IANAL but as the defect has been disclosed by the broker, if you accept
the boat and discover a more serious related problem you may have
limited recourse. You need an idea of the likely repair cost, a proper
survey and possibly competent legal advice.

The broker (yup, I know, don't trust him, the seller is paying him)
reckoned 1200 GBP to repair. I have a surveyor looking at it this week.
A previous survey of the vessel mentioned no give with the tiller tied
off and force applied to the rudder. I think I'll try to be optimistic -
and look at wind-vane options for backup.

That was an interesting read, thanks Ian.

Justin.

--
Justin C, by the sea.