Cracks @ Rudder Post and Loose Strut

[Bolo]

While I was on vacation (home now) I received an update on my rudder. The service manager sent me a closeup photo of the rudder post where there is some corrosion and pitting. He wrote, "Below is a photo of your rudder shaft. It has pitting and corrosion that we cannot remove. I don’t think it’s ready to replace, but keep an eye on it."

It looks like surface corrosion to me and why it's of his opinion that it can't be removed is a question I have posed to him but no yet receive an answer. The condition of the shaft looks like what you'd expect from a 1987 boat maybe even better and I agree with him that there is no need to replace it....yet. The pitted area to the far right of the image looks almost like it there from the beginning but I maybe wrong about that.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

While I was on vacation (home now) I received an update on my rudder. The service manager sent me a closeup photo of the rudder post where there is some corrosion and pitting. He wrote, "Below is a photo of your rudder shaft. It has pitting and corrosion that we cannot remove. I don’t think it’s ready to replace, but keep an eye on it."

It looks like surface corrosion to me and why it's of his opinion that it can't be removed is a question I have posed to him but no yet receive an answer. The condition of the shaft looks like what you'd expect from a 1987 boat maybe even better and I agree with him that there is no need to replace it....yet. The pitted area to the far right of the image looks almost like it there from the beginning but I maybe wrong about that.

Bob,
I hope you had a good vacation.
Which end of this is up? What portion of the rudder are we looking at?
That textured cavity to the right makes me wonder if that is a weld joint. Though it doesn't quite look like that.
J

 

[Bolo]

Bob,
I hope you had a good vacation.
Which end of this is up? What portion of the rudder are we looking at?
That textured cavity to the right makes me wonder if that is a weld joint. Though it doesn't quite look like that.
J

Good question, "Which end is up?" (Often ask myself that about other things in my life too!) I suspect it's the end that goes into the quadrant because of the hole that is for the bolt that connects the shaft to the quadrant. So it appears that the corrosion is at the quadrant or just below it.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Sumpin' like this, maybe.



Trying to figure out what would cause that black/red ochre ring. And wondering about that big gash.

 

[Bolo]

Sumpin' like this, maybe.

View attachment 53944

Trying to figure out what would cause that black/red ochre ring. And wondering about that big gash.

I think it has something to do with the rudder gland packing but since I'm not at the boat it's hard to tell. Perhaps someone else can share an idea?

 

[Bolo]

Was just able to talk on the phone to the marina service manager about the rudder shaft. He said that the red/brown gunk, near the hole, was at the top of the rudder gland and that they cleaned it up short of using a grinder which they wouldn't do. His real concern at first was the "gash" looking corrosion to the far right (Red circle). It's what stainless does after being wet and not getting enough oxogen for a long time which is how stainless can corrode. According to him it breaks down and just goes away.


Here's a close up of that area that I enlarged (using his cell phone image) and sharpened using two software apps that I have on my computer.

The area in question is about 3/4 of an inch long. I asked if it could be filled somehow and he said that almost nothing would last but they may be able to do some welding and grinding but he's had to check with their metals expert first. "But", he said, "unless you're planning on going on an around the world sail I shouldn't worry about it." He added that there is no chance of it snapping at that point, unless it gets worse, and that in about three years I should drop the rudder to take another look at it using these recent photos for comparison. Otherwise the rudder is in good shape and he's seen this sort of wear as typical in a boat that's as old as mine. In other words, don't worry about it too much, just keep an eye on it.

My repairs started originally as a dripless shaft boot replacement and ballooned into much more. The boat is almost done after having cracks repaired, a new shaft and coupling. New motor mounts and a repacked rudder tube gland. All that plus, new bottom paint, prop speed and hull waxing. I'll do another posting after it's all done with a review of costs in case any of you out there are facing with a similar circumstance.

 

[bigd14]

My repairs started originally as a dripless shaft boot replacement and ballooned into much more

The very definition of owning a sailboat!

 

[Bolo]

The very definition of owning a sailboat!

 

[Loren Beach]

Keeping things in perspective.... if you own a second home or an airplane, it's a Much Larger Hole.....

 

[Bolo]

Keeping things in perspective.... if you own a second home or an airplane, it's a Much Larger Hole.....

I hear ya! I just gave out a check for $5,000 a few minutes ago for a brand new steel front door on my house that replaced the old 29 year original contractor grade that I had so I'm just giving out cash this week I guess.

 

[Drewm3i]

I was worried about this with my OEM rudder (1969-2010), which had several other concerning signs of being waterlogged and weakened.

I found, after replacing it with a new one from Foss Foam, that although the foam was old and wet and undoubtedly subject to many freeze/thaw cycles in the winter, and there were many spider cracks in the surrounding glass, it was slowly oozing rusty water from some of those cracks and from the top of the rudder, and the steel structure within was somewhat rusty after I cut it out, that it had plenty of structural fortitude remaining.

My new one now occasionally seeps some rust after haulout. I am not concerned.

You just don’t hear a lot about Ericson rudders (or any others, really) falling apart in the middle of the season. It doesn’t happen often for a reason.

Yes, but it is good to remember what CAN happen, as this thread points out:

32-200 Lost Rudder

I lost my rudder on passage today in the Bahamas. I haven't had it hauled, but judging from some indistinct gopro footage it looks like shaft failed. I also watched the rudder float by me and it appeared undamaged. I'm pretty sure I didn't hit anything. Not taking on water and the...

ericsonyachts.org

 

[tenders]

Yes, but it is good to remember what CAN happen, as this thread points out:

32-200 Lost Rudder

I lost my rudder on passage today in the Bahamas. I haven't had it hauled, but judging from some indistinct gopro footage it looks like shaft failed. I also watched the rudder float by me and it appeared undamaged. I'm pretty sure I didn't hit anything. Not taking on water and the...

ericsonyachts.org

You make a good point about the potential range of rudder failure points. I am biased towards the risk of foam failures, probably due to the simplicity and visibility of my 32-2’s tiller-steered rudder, which is easily removed and inspected, and has been pretty regularly over the years.

The failure you’re pointing out was a relatively “new” vintage Ericson (1987) and the post itself sheared off - its damage may indeed have started from a corrosion line like Bolo’s that may have been concealed among steering bearings and other paraphernalia.