Posted by jerry_magic1 (jerry_magic1@…>)
Magic is in the boatyard right now for repairs to the rudder. There
was water penetration found when doing a bottom job last spring. We
drilled numerous holes on each side of the rudder to let the water
out and it has been drying out for the past month in the Texas heat.
We are now ready for the next repair steps: west system filler,
barrier coats and bottom paint.
In talking with Paul Dennis, he advised that water in the rudder
would be a problem in the north country if it froze. In warmer
climates, since the filler between the fiberglass layers is foam and
not balsa core, it would be a problem only if it caused rusting of
the stainless collars that hold the rudder to the embedded rudder
post.
He also advised, since we found no cracks or holes in the rudder,
that the most likely point of water penetration was the top of the
rudder, and that this needed to be carefully inspected.
Not easy to do on this boat with less than 1 inch of clearance
between the top of the rudder and the bottom of the hull.
Looks like I’ll have to drop the rudder to get at least 8 to 10
inches of space to inspect and repair.
Now the question: Has anybody removed or dropped the rudder one of
these boats? If so can you fill me in on the process? Hate to bother
Paul Dennis again if somebody on the board can help me out before I
head for south Texas this weekend.
Thanks,
Jerry