[Rhodes22-list] Wallowed Out Holes in Rudder/Head Assy; Flex with Rudder

[Lowe, Rob]

Allyn,
The rudder on my boat is hollow also.  I believe they are made that way.  I did have to drain some water out and I used epoxy to seal the edges. Not sure about you rudder to head assembly.  Can you take some photos that we can look at? - rob

________________________________
From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of Allyn Baskerville <allynb at adsne.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 6:00 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Wallowed Out Holes in Rudder/Head Assy; Flex with Rudder

The rudder on my Rhodes is hollow - are all the rudders hollow? We just had single digit temps for a week, and I didn't think of the possibility of the rudder being partially filled with water, which it was, but there doesn't appear to be any freeze damage. However, the holes the bolt that holds the rudder to the rudder head assembly are wallowed out on both the rudder and the head assembly. It's been like this since I purchased the boat, but I'd like to fix it as it's gradually getting worse. Are there supposed to be bushings where the rudder attaches to the head assembly?

I generally feel a lot of flex in the tiller and/or rudder on windier days, which is a pretty high percentage here in Oklahoma. I can't tell exactly where the flex is coming from, but I think it's the rudder head assembly, which is made of plastic. Has anyone else noticed flex? If so, can you please describe what you did to fix the issue?

Thanks - Allyn