EKOS 34" rudder...now what?

[ohiomike]

I'm not exactly an expert or veteran with this stuff....did a search (couple of them actually) and only managed to find other posts dating back to 2010...so I am posting this in hopes of getting some help :help:

The two attached photos pretty much sum it up for me...ran it three times...this happened on the 3rd run :angry:

Picked up some Loctite Marine Epoxy...was going to mix some up and shoot it in between the fiberglass and the back of the aluminum plate. Push it back together then run some epoxy around the outside for a reinforcement and to try and seal up the fiberglass so it doesn't continue to delaminate.

I am not a fiberglass wizard (but guessing I should become one if I keep this boat), so other than taking this to a body shop for fiberglass and paint repair, not really sure what to do....or what to do going forward so I don't have to deal with this again.

I've been reading about break-away rudders for other boats, but can't seem to find a OEM replacement break-away unit for this EKOS boat.

As usual, any/all help is appreciated.

Thanks
Mike

[fleckster48]

Hello,

I have a KOS and have thought about something like this happening. I'm thinking that I might make a hardwood plug to fit the hollow space behind the plate. It would need to be a little shorter in depth so the plate shown in your picture would fit back in flush. Before putting it back together, epoxy the plate to the block and let it dry. I would also first drill two holes in the wood block so the screws from the rudder can be fully screwed back in to the plate. Next, coat all sides of the block with epoxy and push it back in. Let that dry over night. I think that would work/look better than trying to fiberglass the area around the rudder mounting. If you have any questions, drop me a note.
Best Regards,
fleckster

[ray schrauwen]

A hardwood plug would work.

I would suggest using some decent quality 30minute or slower epoxy to do it. Just re-enforce it with hardwood or layers of plywood sandwiched together.

Now for breakaway rudders, you should look at what OSE has to offer: Hardware: (http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ose-80057)

This rudder should fit. if the holes don;t line up, fill up the holes with doweling and redrill. This rudder I show at OSE has breakaway and will fit your boat fine. Maybe it is a bit long but, it should run just fine.

Edit*: Do re-enforcement inside the hull and just hand paint the tail end after it is all done. I would rebuild it from the inside and then once dry redrill the holes to mount new rudder. The old rudder can not be made kick back.

[Livewire121]

I agree with Flexster and Ray regarding the hard wood plug. Figther Cat racing have a break away rudder thats a direct drop in for the Ekos. I have one for my Ekos. Actually its the same one Ray posted the link to, but in the photo it looks like it come with a stainless steel sheer bolt. If it does replace it with a nylon bolt.

[ray schrauwen]

OSE sells the same one.

[Cooper]

Yup ose, and always use a nylon shear bolt. I run in a river, pretty calm but never know what might be floating down. I've done the same thing with my ekos, not as bad as yours but essentially the same. Agree with ray. I run my ekos with the main bolt tight not even using any shear bolt. It might kick from some small stuff but I'm not racing and its a lot better bringing it in and pushing it back down than rebuilding the rudder pad. Good luck and hope your up and running soon. :)

[ohiomike]

Thanks to all.....looks like I have a bit of work ahead of me. I have not started anything as I wanted to see what kind of replies I was going to get. Certainly did not want to put it back together to find that the suggestion required pulling it apart again :)

Mike

[ray schrauwen]

If there are any handling problems with the rudder being a little longer (shouldn't) it can be cut down but, that's a ways off...

[ohiomike]

One more question....if I go with this rudder, I see that it only has one water pick-up....the stock EKOS has the dual pipes. Do you think that bracket can be drilled out so that I can slide in the water pick-ups? The plan would then be to plug the one in the rudder itself.
Mike

[ray schrauwen]

What you would be best to do is also order a "Y" splitter so you can split the feed from the rudder. Lots of people do it. Sorry, I almost forgot about that....

Just got a call for a job interview, woo hoo!!!

[ray schrauwen]

Steve sells them at OSE.

Check out all the neat stuff he has for cooling, it's .... COOL.

[ohiomike]

Thanks to all for the help....got her back together. Picked up the rudder (in photos) from Steve here at OSE. Was pretty much an OEM fit. Put her in the water tonight....seems to work as it should. As you can see in the photos I installed the "Y" on the cooling lines as this does not have the individual pick-ups the stock unit had. I do see a decrease in the amount of water exiting the boat when running, so I may try to drill the rudder mount and add those (like stock). I also noticed that I am getting more water inside hull than before....guessing my repair is not as water tight as I was hoping. Goofy question, but has anyone thought about gluing some sponges inside to absorb water?
Mike973069730797308

[Cooper]

I get real finicky with water leaks. If you have the time, I will remove parts, rudder, hoses and tape off holes real good then install one part at a time and do a bath tub test. Or you can submerge the back of hull up to the hatch while looking into the back and possibly see where water is coming in. If you suspect the rudder mounting is leaking I just apply some silicone first then mount rudder. Wipe off any that squeezed out and it should give you a good seal. Might be around linkage too. Good luck and hope you find and fix. Good jib on the rudder too!!