Ericson 30-II outboard rudder. Got a moment Seth?

Hi, I just pulled my transom hung rudder to paint it. This rudder seems very heavy. I drilled a few holes in it to see if it leaked any water it might have absorbed over the last 30 years but the holes I drilled were all dry and the drilled out material appeared to be wood.

I called Foss Foam and was redirected to a helpful guy named Gene. He confirmed that the rudder may be made of fiberglass clad wood but he would need to check to be sure.

From what I have read there were only some 48 of these transom hung rudder E30's. Does anyone have additional info to add? Are these rudders made of wood or are they foam filled? When I tap it with a plastic mallet it sounds the same all over.

Thanks for any help that may be forthcoming.

Bregan:nerd:

I believe that the very first Cruising 31s (which evolved into the Independence 31), had their rudders cored with a slurry of glass and chopped asbestos and were very heavy. These then became foam filled, some made by Ericson, and some by Foss. Mine was a later foam filled one, got wet, and I had to recore it. That was a project requiring a few Dark and Stormies

Thanks David.

That's good stuff. It could be the same with my 1978 E30-II. It's heavy but seems very dry.

Good thing I tied a rope around it when I pulled it here in my slip. Otherwise I think it would have went straight to the bottom and stuck in like a lawn dart.

Thanks David, you are the man.

Anyone else have anything to add?