Cal 20 rudder

Hello fellow Cal boater, looking for some input on taking care of the ruder on a 1964 Cal 20 that belongs to a friend and that I occasionally use here in San Diego's Mission Bay. The boat has seen little use this last year (and irregular bottom cleaning) and the bottom paint job is probably several years old. The rudder similarly could use some TLC. Not absolutely sure but it appears this is a wooden rudder (?) and is water-logged due to lack of paint or it has a least enough growth on it so that it looks kind of fuzzy and appears "swollen" up. I know this boat could use some new bottom paint and a new rudder for $600 from Sealspar but we are still toying with the idea of bringing my Cal 25 back to SD so want to get the Cal 20 back in good enough shape to go day-sailing without breaking the bank. Thanks for not mentioning anything about just looking at the rudder right now or being out sailing right now - still have about 3 hours at work before I can get out ; - ) As always looking forward to your input and any suggestions, Sabine s/v 1976 Cal 3-30 "Estrella", SB, Ca occasional user 1964 Cal 20 "Spin Echo", SD, Ca formerly (and maybe again?) 1966 Cal 1-25 "Night and Day", SB, Ca

Cal 20 rudders don't really absorb much h20-- there fore pull the rudder clean it and recoat it with whatever bottom paint you like. Other respondents suggest epoxy coating which is a good idea. Nontheless, it truly does not make much difference. Clean the bottom. This is a bigger issue. You can clean the rudder wih a sponge, the keel is another matter. A foul bottom will spoil your day. My Best, Mike From: Sabine Faulhaber <su… [at] yahoo.co.uk> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, April 2, 2010 2:25:02 PM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 20 rudder Hello fellow Cal boater, looking for some input on taking care of the ruder on a 1964 Cal 20 that belongs to a friend and that I occasionally use here in San Diego's Mission Bay. The boat has seen little use this last year (and irregular bottom cleaning) and the bottom paint job is probably several years old. The rudder similarly could use some TLC. Not absolutely sure but it appears this is a wooden rudder (?) and is water-logged due to lack of paint or it has a least enough growth on it so that it looks kind of fuzzy and appears "swollen" up. I know this boat could use some new bottom paint and a new rudder for $600 from Sealspar but we are still toying with the idea of bringing my Cal 25 back to SD so want to get the Cal 20 back in good enough shape to go day-sailing without breaking the bank. Thanks for not mentioning anything about just looking at the rudder right now or being out sailing right now - still have about 3 hours at work before I can get out ; - ) As always looking forward to your input and any suggestions, Sabine s/v 1976 Cal 3-30 "Estrella", SB, Ca occasional user 1964 Cal 20 "Spin Echo", SD, Ca formerly (and maybe again?) 1966 Cal 1-25 "Night and Day", SB, Ca

Hi Sabine, Have you thought about building a new rudder? West Systems Epoxy has a nice article about how to cut and glue up the wood for a rudder blank. This is something that I did for my Cal 20 over the winter, it not to the standard Cal specs, but I've been out in 20 + knots winds this spring and my new one never feels like I'm about to lose control. http://www.boussog1.com/i550/Rudder_Blades_and_Centerboards.pdf I have put some photos of the project on Flickr, here's a link if you want to take a look. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28160454@N08/sets/72157623155961848/ Good luck, Chris B Cal 20, WeeHope III From: Sabine Faulhaber <su… [at] yahoo.co.uk> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, April 2, 2010 4:25:02 PM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 20 rudder Hello fellow Cal boater, looking for some input on taking care of the ruder on a 1964 Cal 20 that belongs to a friend and that I occasionally use here in San Diego's Mission Bay. The boat has seen little use this last year (and irregular bottom cleaning) and the bottom paint job is probably several years old. The rudder similarly could use some TLC. Not absolutely sure but it appears this is a wooden rudder (?) and is water-logged due to lack of paint or it has a least enough growth on it so that it looks kind of fuzzy and appears "swollen" up. I know this boat could use some new bottom paint and a new rudder for $600 from Sealspar but we are still toying with the idea of bringing my Cal 25 back to SD so want to get the Cal 20 back in good enough shape to go day-sailing without breaking the bank. Thanks for not mentioning anything about just looking at the rudder right now or being out sailing right now - still have about 3 hours at work before I can get out ; - ) As always looking forward to your input and any suggestions, Sabine s/v 1976 Cal 3-30 "Estrella", SB, Ca occasional user 1964 Cal 20 "Spin Echo", SD, Ca formerly (and maybe again?) 1966 Cal 1-25 "Night and Day", SB, Ca

Hi Sabine, Have you thought about building a new rudder? West Systems Epoxy has a nice article about how to cut and glue up the wood for a rudder blank. This is something that I did for my Cal 20 over the winter, it not to the standard Cal specs, but I've been out in 20 + knots winds this spring and my new one never feels like I'm about to loose control. From: Sabine Faulhaber <su… [at] yahoo.co.uk> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, April 2, 2010 4:25:02 PM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 20 rudder Hello fellow Cal boater, looking for some input on taking care of the ruder on a 1964 Cal 20 that belongs to a friend and that I occasionally use here in San Diego's Mission Bay. The boat has seen little use this last year (and irregular bottom cleaning) and the bottom paint job is probably several years old. The rudder similarly could use some TLC. Not absolutely sure but it appears this is a wooden rudder (?) and is water-logged due to lack of paint or it has a least enough growth on it so that it looks kind of fuzzy and appears "swollen" up. I know this boat could use some new bottom paint and a new rudder for $600 from Sealspar but we are still toying with the idea of bringing my Cal 25 back to SD so want to get the Cal 20 back in good enough shape to go day-sailing without breaking the bank. Thanks for not mentioning anything about just looking at the rudder right now or being out sailing right now - still have about 3 hours at work before I can get out ; - ) As always looking forward to your input and any suggestions, Sabine s/v 1976 Cal 3-30 "Estrella", SB, Ca occasional user 1964 Cal 20 "Spin Echo", SD, Ca formerly (and maybe again?) 1966 Cal 1-25 "Night and Day", SB, Ca

Sabine Faulhaber wrote: > > > Hello fellow Cal boater, > > looking for some input on taking care of the ruder on a 1964 Cal 20 > that belongs to a friend and that I occasionally use here in San > Diego's Mission Bay. The boat has seen little use this last year (and > irregular bottom cleaning) and the bottom paint job is probably > several years old. The rudder similarly could use some TLC. Not > absolutely sure but it appears this is a wooden rudder (?) and is > water-logged due to lack of paint or it has a least enough growth on > it so that it looks kind of fuzzy and appears "swollen" up. I like the suggestion of removing the rudder when the boat is not in use, although I'm wondering how that would affect motion on a mooring, if that's how the boat is stored. On my boat, the rudder stays in place, but then the boat is only in the water about half the year and it has the other half to dry out. When I bought the boat, I repaired paint chips on the rudder under the water line with an oil-based enamel and then put antifouling paint over that. I keep it touched up. Last night I was varnishing to upper portion. Your rudder will undoubtedly perform better with the growth accumulation removed. My boat is in a low-fouling area and I can get by for several years with the West version of Unepoxy on the bottom, even though it's not supposed to be a multi-season paint like the ablatives. This year is the year for a new coat, it appears. Chris Campbell Cal 20 # 1220 "Martha C" >