When I assumed stewardship of M17 #278, the leading edge on the rudder had delaminated and was gone. There was a squared off leading edge...with maybe an inch or so of leading edge missing. The remaining laminations along the bottom were splitting open. I rounded off the leading edge, forced epoxy into the bottom splits and glued it back. I then glassed over the entire thing. That rudder was used for a couple seasons, but has since been retired. These rudders are solid mahogany, but not from a single solid piece of mahogany. They are a lamination. It's possible that a rudder with screws and bungs was starting to do the same thing (delaminate) and was repaired that way. Howard On 12/14/05 6:25 AM, "Tom Smith" <tsmith@nextit.com> wrote:

Now that Larry mentions it, it is very possible these attachment points are stock and not a repair. As I look at the old rudder, and the joint behind the leading edge, it really doesn't appear this area was damaged. So I'm amending what I said to Bill earlier and saying this looks like the original design, minus the bungs Larry mentions.

Yes Gil, it is heavier, but there's more hardware involved too. And like Larry said, it's neutral when mounted up in the water, and like Randy said earlier, awkward to carry. t

/)) Tom Smith & Jane VanWinkle M15/345--Chukar M17/496--Unnamed

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