Rudder Lashings: epoxy in place or caulk?

[Mike Haromy]

Just putting my final lashings on the rudders and wanted opinions about using epoxy where the rope passes thru the hull and rudder or caulking or leaving them alone.  

Also is antifouling harmful to the strength of the rope?

thanks!

[Budget Boater]

You should heavily epoxy coat the end grain of the plywood where you drilled the holes for the lashings (both the hull and rudder), then install the lines after the epoxy has cured.

Antifouling will not harm the lashings.

[boatsmith]

We inject either epoxy or super glue into the lashings. This keeps the rudders from twisting on the lashings. With a heel plate there is less twisting. AF paint won't hurt the lashings. Some folks plaster the outsides of the lashings with 5200. This also will prevent twisting as well as provide a smoother surface to keep clean.

[Mike Haromy]

Thanks.  i've completely overdrilled, filled and redrilled the holes.  I've heard the suggestion of epoxy in the holes after the lashings are in place.  The only concern with that is when i spill epoxy on my clothes and it hardens, it makes the cloth brittle and easy to tear. i[m concerned it may do the same to the lashings.    i like the 5200 idea

[Cooper Dan]

Just repaired (glassed and such) the foot of both my rudders and relashed them after our ropes stretched and scraping down to the wood.
SB side had been repaired due to a stress crack when we bought the boat five years ago and these lashings were easier to get pull out, the other side after ten years had set hard with anitfoulings but still able to remove.
I would not epoxy, or anything that sets hard, the holes after the lashings are in place as replacing the lashings becomes next to impossible without drilling and the almost guaranteed major work that is required in resealing the holes where you have skimmed through the paint, primer and glass while drilling out the epoxied lashings. Try doing this in a remote area between tides.
I would use a soft filler, perhaps rtv silicon or such.
Also could use small spiles of wood as was the case in our port side rudder holes to seize the lashings in place.

[Cooper Dan]

Couple more photos :)

[Cooper Dan]

One image at a time?

[Cooper Dan]

Just to clarify.
Our rudders touched and scraped bottom after our ropes stretched during strong winds.

[Björn]

[Björn]

I had good experiences using dyneema as the lashing material

[Ann and Neville Clement]

After over 50,000 miles and 12 years, Peace IV's rudder lashings still look brand new.  We heavily coated the over large holes with thickened epoxy and then coated them again and again and then checked to be sure they ended up the size indicated by the design.  There is no sign of rot. 

We used very low stretch line for the lashings and did them as per design.  We tied the lashings as tight as we could and then put 5200 into the holes to keep them in place.  Nev did not approve of the nylon to nylon rubbing surface for our Tiki 46 rudder where the design shows a little perch for the rudder at the bottom.  He thought nylon to nylon would not be as good as nylon to stainless.  So he put stainless sheet on one of the surfaces and it all looks brand new there. 

I have always put antifoul on the lashings below the water and nothing on the lashings above the water. 

The rudders have always functioned well and never come out of alignment, or given us any bother at all.  They look cool.

Glad to hear you are at the rudder stage!  Send more pics of nearly finished boat.

Ann and Nev

[Cooper Dan]

Björn said:

I had good experiences using dyneema as the lashing material

Hi Björn,
How did you knot the ends of the dyneema? I was reluctant to use as the dyneema is so slippery and concerned they would slip.
I need remove (again) and then strip the rudders back to wood and see what's happened after a couple of months soaking up water.

[Björn]

I used a figure of eight knot, but I think the rope I used has Dyneema in its core, the outer layer could be polyester (I used Gleistein ropes). The lashings are still ok after 9 years.