The rudder spent the entire winter in my basement drying out. There was a noticeable crack along the entire below water aft edge (3 feet long, visible separation of the core from the outer fibreglass). The rudder core was a tear shaped piece of mahogany, not water damaged and still in very good shape. This must have just happened towards the end of the fall 2010 season. Using a few wedges and clamps, the crack was opened wide and a batch of West Systems epoxy was poured in. Using about 20 wood clamps, the separated fibreglass was clamped shut, forcing the epoxy to fill the gaps internally within the rudder, and pushing the extra out. This re-bonding the wood core to the outer fiberglass skin. The aft edge was then sealed with 3M 5200.
The 2012 season will determine the success of this repair.
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