Water in the rudder post

I took the cover off to look at the access to the top of the rudder post and saw that there was water in the post to about 18 inches from the top. The cover was very hard to get off and maybe because it's warped. After cleaning the threads it was still very hard to screw down and I couldn't get it flush with the deck. So it may have to be replaced.

So I figure that the water either came in through the warped cover (rain) or I have a wet rudder and it's filling the post. I'm going to pump the water out of the post and see if it fills up again right away or over time.

Anyone ever have something similar to this?

Since you're in salt water, give it a taste test.

I had water in my rudder post also. No problem with the rudder, but the cover didn't have an o-ring. I'll try to remember to check to see if the o-ring did the trick. When I added the o-ring the cover would not fit flush to the deck.

When I had the rudder out and turned it over to pour out the water, the 3/8" socket wrench extension that was rusting away down there came out, lightening the stern by a few ounces.