Cracks at the top of the skeg

[Sabre27Admin]

Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 13/02/2012 : 21:03:59
I've always had some small cracks about half an inch long at the top of the skeg. They are close to the rudder tube and are long the join between the hull and skeg. It should be an easy job to grind them out and fix with som biaxial, however it might just be cracks in the antifouling.

Has anyone come across this before?

Cheers
rocklyn4
United Kingdom
24 Posts

Posted - 13/02/2012 : 22:29:14
Hi there
I found these cracks in Backdraft last year when I was scraping the hull back, basically I ground away quite a large area of gel coat & deep into the crack areas. I then packed this all out with new fibreglass and put gel over the top again.
I lifted the boat out today for anti fouling and power washed the hull with no sign of any cracks or problems in the area again.
Kind regards
Kyle

Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 14/02/2012 : 08:01:41
Thanks Kyle, I will repair them in that case.

sabre27
178 Posts

Posted - 14/02/2012 : 13:32:57
Hi Guys,

Look in your Handbook under Fin Keel Skeg Repair. You will find a drawing and text describing the process in detail.

We are as I type, in the middle of a substantial ‘Update’ of ‘The Handbook’. It will have about 25 new subjects.


Paul Howard. S27OA Technical Officer.

NPMR
United Kingdom
59 Posts

Posted - 14/02/2012 : 15:08:13
We had a survey priot to purchase of fin keeled "Huzzah" in 2000 and as a result we had the whole skeg ground back and rebuilt at the point where it starts to thin down/hull join type area.

Job was done by Mylor Yacht Harbour and has caused no concern since.

To be honest, I didn't see the problem then but the surveyor was wary of some flexing he thought he saw. Better safe than sorry etc.

sabre27
178 Posts

Posted - 14/02/2012 : 16:19:54
I remember that one Nigel, it caused a sharp intake of breath up here!

Paul Howard. S27OA Technical Officer.

keith
United Kingdom
118 Posts

Posted - 19/02/2012 : 00:38:48
The skeg is a separate moulding that is bolted into a recess in the hull with a ring of 1/4" machine screws, all are then glassed over,the skeg is bedded on polyester filler then filled with foam afterwards.Its prone to leaking & cracking. In our boats case the top two thirds was full of swale mud. It had a good case of osmosis from the inside.
Personally i would never use foam in a skeg or rudder as it always takes up water.

Peter OD
United Kingdom
50 Posts

Posted - 19/02/2012 : 08:52:26
Keith, what would you do with the rudder then? I've got mine apart just now, the tangs are mild steel and I shall have them replaced. When I've epoxied and glassed them back into place should I just seal up the rudder again and not bother with foam filling?

What would you do? The original foam filling was in fact saturated, but I put that down to the fact that a previous owner had made a hole at the top end of the rudder and put a big shackle in it - that hole was never properly sealed.

Interested to see your answer - I'm going back in the water next week and I need to get a move on!

All the Best - Peter

keith
United Kingdom
118 Posts

Posted - 19/02/2012 : 11:57:49
There have been plenty of different answers on here & elsewhere. On my boat i filled it up solid with polyester filler, i used fillite, does make it rather heavy though. We used to use the same method at Thames marine on the mirages. Some people swear by putting O rings on the rudder stock to give a seal. I usually leave a groove in the filler & seal it top & bottom with sikaflex or polysulphide.
Whatever you use water will no doubt get in one way or the other. Perhaps its just as good to leave it empty & put a drain in the bottom so the water can run out when the boat is laid up!
Pays yer money & takes yer choice!

Peter OD
United Kingdom
50 Posts

Posted - 19/02/2012 : 13:15:20
Thanks for that Keith. Interesting, and at least I've made a decision! There is already a small screw-in bung in the bottom of mine, so I shall leave that there, seal top and bottom of shaft with an inward facing chamfer and Sikoflex and not put any foam inside at all. I guess that way I will, season by season, be able to monitor how much water has got into the rudder. We shall see!

I am however, very glad I've taken it off - the stainless to mild steel business doesn't impress me very much.

Happy sailing - Pete

Peter OD
United Kingdom
50 Posts

Posted - 19/02/2012 : 15:40:35
I've just extracted the rudder stock from the rudder - and amazingly one of the tangs came off in my hand. Not that I wasn't warned. When I think of all the times I've really leaned on the rudder.

Do it, just do it, I listened to the warnings - perhaps you should too.

Fair Winds

Peter (Sanda Isle)

Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 19/02/2012 : 22:25:42
So is that three rudders opened up this winter (me, ianfr and Peter OD) , ALL mild steel tangs, ALL failed?

Seems a fair assumption that unless you know categorically that yours has been done, chances are you are already down to only 2 tangs doing anything!

Peter OD
United Kingdom
50 Posts

Posted - 20/02/2012 : 07:56:19
Thanks Iain - it was your extensive articles that did it for me. I tried a supermagnet on the rudder prior to removal and there was no sense of ferromagnetic stuff below.
Compass doesn't work vertically - needs to lie easy on its bearings - i.e. flat - they are weighted too to compensate for angle of magnetic dip. That differs around the world, Aussie Silva compass won't work in UK!
Get those rudders off - check 'em out - weld 'em up - Why would anyone do that in the first place? Or did the builder have sense of humour?

Happy grinding

Peter (Sanda Isle)

sabre27
178 Posts

Posted - 20/02/2012 : 15:57:59
Hi all,

In the late 1960’s and early 70’s, GRP boats like our Sabres were only just beginning to be built. It was a steep learning curve. Not just GRP was new but so were many metals which were being developed as things went wizzing along. The internet, that we now take for granted, did not exist until the early 90s!

http://www.reinforcedplastics.com/view/ ... ic-boats-/
http://www.alberg30.org/maintenance/Ste ... Corrosion/

The S27OA started in 1994 and we were soon using the new internet technology. We were learning in days, what would have taken years in the 70s!

Oh! Just thought I’d mention it, if you go to your S27OA Handbook and look up R – Rudders, you will find a comprehensive description of the problem and the solution. Mmm. Nothing like reinventing the wheel.

Paul Howard. S27OA Technical Officer.

Peter OD
United Kingdom
50 Posts

Posted - 20/02/2012 : 16:56:04
Thank goodness for this forum!

Peter (Sanda Isle)