6.9 Rudder Damage

Posted By: Cm Hair
Date: 7/9/04 5:56p.m.

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Hello everbody, I'm new to this forum as I just bought an S2 6.9 recently. This is the first sailboat I've ever owned and I've been having the time of my life on it! Aside from working out the easy problems, this forum is a great place for S2 owners to share their experiences. The rudder had damage on the very top when I bought it. It wasn't that bad, fortunately, a little fiberglassing fixed it like new. I'm almost certain this is from running aground with the rudder locked in the down position. The pivot hole on the rudder itself however is "wollered" out so much you could get two bolts through it side by side. It pivots just fine, but when I put the rudder straight down and insert the locking pin, there is about a half inch of clearance before the pin contacts the top of the rudder. So, once I start sailing, the drag caused by the water tilts the rudder up about 5 degrees or so, maybe more, before it hits the locking pin that stops its upward motion. Is this normal? Again, it's harldy noticeble, but when I'm sailing on a very hard heel, I begin losing rudder authority. I would think that if the rudder was completly vertical this wouldn't happen as soon, given the same angle of heel. Just wondering if I should fix it or leave it as is. Thanks for any info on your experiences. I do plan on using a wooden pin in the future as a safety measure incase I do run aground one day.