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

[Tom Van Heule]

If my rudder is hollow it still weighs +45lbs....it does NOT sound hollow.
 2011 boat.

On Thu, Mar 18, 2021, 11:13 AM Lowe, Rob <rlowe at vt.edu> wrote:

> 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
>