Split Cedar/Mahogony rudder blade - HELP!

[Wayfarer 1071]

Hi

I hoping I can get some advice. I have a wooden Wayfarer that I race and whilst going through my midwinter check up I noticed that my rudder blade was split underneath the rudder head.

The blade is a cedar and mahogany laminated affair that is shealthed in expoxy encapsulated fiberglass cloth. The split is through the fiberglass/expoxy and runs down the glue joint between a stip of mahogony and cedar. The wood is just fine, it appears as if the glue joint has failed. It is a very fine split not a huge gaping crack.

I suspect this was a result of one particularly heavy air regatta nonetheless I need a repair that will be able to take the pounding in racing.

Any suggestions on a repair strategy?

Thanks,

Kevin

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Inject it with a farm size syringe and needle with epoxy and hope for the best. If you have to, drill a fine hole up into the head to inject farther up.

A cautionary note...Wood expansion contraction and hence glue line failures usually means that water has got in there... check for compromises in the fibreglass sheathing.

[Bob Smalser]

The quick fix described above may or may not work. If you don't dismantle the blade from the head hardware and fix all of the failed joint it probably won't. If the glue originally used is anything other than epoxy or urea resin it probably won't. Gentle heat from a heat gun will allow the epoxy to seep in much better than drilling holes and syringes. For a more thorough repair:

Dismantle the blade from all hardware.

Grind off enough fabric to get at the joint with a belt sander....on a small rudder I'd remove all of it....on a large rudder I'd remove enough to feather in new.

Break the failed joint apart. Use the heat gun if necessary. Joint the edges, reglue, reglass, refinish and reassemble.

If there are drifts in there, pry apart far enough to cut them, joint the edges using a carbide router bit (bronze drifts only) reglue and redrift like you'd do a dowel edge joint in furniture. Galvanized steel drifts need to be drilled out far enough to joint clean wood edges before regluing.

If for any reason you can't rejoint those edges, I'd want to know what the old glue residue looks like as some glues can't be glued over.

[ 02-03-2005, 11:09 AM: Message edited by: Bob Smalser ]

[John Meachen]

I have had some success using something that Bob mentions.Drifts,wooden ones that is,or dowels if you prefer.If your rudder blade is as good as I suspect it is/was you may be reluctant to split it from top to bottom.If the split is above the pivot bolt,you may get away with drilling for a long dowel or two from either edge.Then flex the crack open to inject or trickle as much epoxy in as it will take.Cramp a sturdy waxed batten on either face of the blade to hold it flat and then put the dowels in with lots of epoxy.After the epoxy cures you will almost certainly need to remove a strip of glass maybe two inches,feather the edges and replace as Bob says.
Was your rudder to the original design or had the modification to allow a vertical leading edge been done?I understand the loads are much less on the modern version.

[Wayfarer 1071]

Hi

Thanks to all for your replies. Excellent suggestions.

I think an approach that combines elements of all three replies is warranted.

Cheers,

Kevin

[Frank E. Price]

How hard could it be to make a new rudder for a Wayfarer? If you build it yourself you can take whatever steps may be necessary to ensure it is stronger than the original, and no worries about a repair holding, or another split somewhere else.

Frank