When hauled out in the Fall of 2002, the rudder was not in good shape. It was evident that water intrusion into the core was the cause of the problems evidenced by weaping stains near the bottom of the rudder. This is what the rudder looked like in November 2002: (click on images for higher resolution view).

The rudder was removed (a bit of a project in itself as the thing is not light), brought home and some 1-1/2" holes drilled to allow the unit to initially dry out. It was kept in a warm place (next to the hot water heater) for about 2 months, and then the a brought back outside on a frigid morning for an appointment with the angle grinder. All of the holes that had been drilled through the skin were flared to a 10:1 angle in preperation for re-laminating, and other bad spots on the rudder ground back to good glass or core ...

After this was done, the rudder was brought back inside, put under heatlamps and dry compressed air at low pressure blown through the rudder for about a week. This was done to help flash off any residual styrene inside the rudder and to finish the drying process. At the end of this process, the air emerged from the rudder odor-free indicating that at least along the paths that the air was able to take, the rudder was substansially dry. 30 oz fiberglass cloth was then laid up ...

Then the source of the problem was dealt with. Most rudders that get saturated leak water through the joint where the rudder shaft joins the body ... its a tough connection to get right, and to keep intact given the stresses that the joint takes under sail. My approach to solve the problem was to grind back a half-V shaped notch about 1/2" deep around the top of the joint, and then roughen the stainless inside to permit maximum epoxy adhesion once the repair was attempt.

A vacuum pump hose was hooked up to a hole on the leading edge of the rudder, and other remaining holes in the rudder sealed, permitting expoxy to be drawn down along the shaft. The vacuum was applied and an initial set of epoxy poured into the notch and drawn down. This was quickly followed by chopped strand glass to stiffen the joint area and left to cure under the lights.

Additional spots were fixed, including the holes on the leading edge which was filled and taped, and fairing the job began using high-temp polyester resin that is rated for below waterline use.

Then it was time to put some barrier coat (Interprotect 2000) on ...

And to rehang the rudder ...