Rudder Repairs - Apogee

[Sabre27Admin]

ianfr
United Kingdom
104 Posts

Posted - 08/01/2012 : 22:33:22
After Iain's excellent posts about rudder repairs I thought I would add my two pence.

Removing the bottom bearing.

I found that by gently tapping a small paint stripper all round it was possible to break the seal on the bottom bearing. I managed to remove the bottom fitting in less than 15 minutes. (just has to get worse)



Now for the top, that just has to be a pain, as the bottom was so easy? No, the locking ring was free, and I just unwound it. Removed the bearing and then from below, removed the support blocks one by one .... 4 minutes and the rudder was free, and in the car. (IT MUST GET WORSE Surely??)

I have now progressed to splitting the rudder. A few minutes with the grinder along the thick side and hour with a electric saw and hey presto.



Full of gungy wet foam. I don't think it is a standard build as someone seems to have cast solid resin in large chunks round the edges.



Very brittle



And a very odd colour.



Anyway, now the chipping and grinding starts. (I knew it would get worse)

Oh yes, the tangs are mild steel



Kind Regards

Ian
Edited by - ianfr on 08/01/2012 22:34:44
ianfr
United Kingdom
104 Posts

Posted - 10/01/2012 : 13:00:55
Update, Tuesday 10th

During lunch I managed to grind off the glass over the tangs.

As I levered the rudder post off, the top tang broke off !!

Looking at the weld, I am surprised it managed to survive the glassing in process.

All 3 tangs are welded at right angles, unlike IainC's which has the normal layout. That will be amended I think.

I shall continue to post updates as I progress in case this is of some use.

I think I would agree with IainC that if you only do one job this winter, checking the tangs is essential.

I also tried the magnet from outside test, and that indicated stainless tangs, so unreliable test at least.



Kind Regards

Ian

ken endean
United Kingdom
52 Posts

Posted - 18/01/2012 : 12:43:30
Ian, could you please double-check one item for us. In the past, when tangs have failed, some reports have not been absolutely clear and it has been uncertain whether the tangs are mild steel or an inferior grade of stainless (304 or worse). Low-grade stainless might show rusting but with the main damage probably at the weld between two dissimilar metals. If your tangs are mild steel, a magnet should adhere strongly to the surface of the metal, whereas it should have only weak attraction to low-grade stainless. Can you provide any further info? As a final query, in what year was your boat constructed?

ianfr
United Kingdom
104 Posts

Posted - 18/01/2012 : 14:36:10
Ken

After grinding off the glass fibre, it was very apparent that the tangs were mild steel. The fridge magnet I had positively jumped on to them

The top tang was the only problem, and that really just looked like a really bad weld, with the two parts held apart by weld residue..

That's the sort of weld I am good at.

I didn't get a chance to photograph the bad weld, as I needed to catch the welder before he left for the day.

The boat was built in 1973, but I am not sure whether the rudder is original. All three tangs were welded at right angles to the rudder post, unlike Iain Christie's, and most others where the middle one is at 45 degrees.

I managed to grind off the glass without hitting the metal underneath which was the typical dull grey of mild steel. Not a sign of rust on any of them to be fair. Just the top broken tang.

The tanks were set in what looked like white isopon or similar. It was actually quite easy to move even with a screwdriver. There is also some reinforcement on the starboard shell giving the tang a little trench to sit in. As I scraped it off it was clear that there was a little water between the bog and the shell!

The port shell has two 1" holes which I assume were for pouring in the expanding foam. As far as I can see the foam was just cut flush and painted over! When it gets rebuilt all the holes will be filled properly.

I will see if I can get a clear picture of the starboard shell as it is all cleaned up, waiting for the stock to come back from the welder.



Kind Regards

Ian