Sailstar/Bristol Corinthian, wooden rudder

[okawbow]

I just returned home with a nice 1967 Corinthian in good, solid condition, other than the antifouling and rudder cracks. The rudder seems very solid and well attached, except for a few cracks in the wood running vertically.

Any advice on the proper way to fill the cracks, and fair the rudder?

Anyone else here have a Corinthian? This one came with excellent sails, except the spinnaker is about 2x the recommended sq ft in size. Hard to believe it was actually used on this little boat. It's even a little big for my Bristol 24.

I'll be sailing this boat on inland lakes, but might want to take it offshore in the future. Has anyone done anything about the non-self bailing cockpit, that leads right into the cabin, with no bridge deck?

[AdriftAtSea]

I just returned home with a nice 1967 Corinthian in good, solid condition, other than the antifouling and rudder cracks. The rudder seems very solid and well attached, except for a few cracks in the wood running vertically.

Any advice on the proper way to fill the cracks, and fair the rudder?

Fill the cracks with thickened epoxy.  Might be worth while to put a couple layers of fiberglass over the rudder. :)

Anyone else here have a Corinthian? This one came with excellent sails, except the spinnaker is about 2x the recommended sq ft in size. Hard to believe it was actually used on this little boat. It's even a little big for my Bristol 24.

Not that I know of.

I'll be sailing this boat on inland lakes, but might want to take it offshore in the future. Has anyone done anything about the non-self bailing cockpit, that leads right into the cabin, with no bridge deck?

Adding drains is not a big deal, either is adding a bridge deck. I added a bridge deck to my boat two seasons ago, and it has proven its worth many times over.  It added 5 cubic feet of stowage in the cabin, reduced the cockpit volume by five cubic feet-300 lbs. of seawater, reduced the chance the cockpit can downflood into the cabin to zero, and increased the stiffness and rigidity of the main hull considerably.

[CharlieJ]

I don't know the boat, BUT-

if that rudder is vertical staves of wood, and it has been out of the water for some time DO NOT fill those cracks with epoxy.

Older wooden rudders shrank when dried out, commonly showing small cracks between sections. When the wood is immersed again, it takes up moisture, swells and the cracks go away.Usually there are drift rods in there that hold the pieces together.

Launch the boat, let it stay wet for a while, like a week- THEN take a look- if you still have the cracks, then let it dry out again and use the epoxy. Otherwise you can destroy the rudder when it soaks up water and swells.

If it's not possible to launch for a short time, cover the rudder with towels and keep them wet for a week- then check.

[AdriftAtSea]

good point charlie... forgot that some older rudder designs did that.. my bad. :)

[okawbow]

I don't know the boat, BUT-

if that rudder is vertical staves of wood, and it has been out of the water for some time DO NOT fill those cracks with epoxy.

Older wooden rudders shrank when dried out, commonly showing small cracks between sections. When the wood is immersed again, it takes up moisture, swells and the cracks go away.Usually there are drift rods in there that hold the pieces together.

The boat has been out of the water for almost 2 years. The cracks are not too bad, and nothing moves. The problem is, that I won't be putting the boat back in the water for any length of time this year. I may never do more that trailer sail it for a long weekend. I wonder about using a soft caulk and then paint?

Launch the boat, let it stay wet for a while, like a week- THEN take a look- if you still have the cracks, then let it dry out again and use the epoxy. Otherwise you can destroy the rudder when it soaks up water and swells.

If it's not possible to launch for a short time, cover the rudder with towels and keep them wet for a week- then check.

[Oldrig]

I remember the Corinthian: It's another Carl Alberg design. There used to be a few fleets of them around New England, but the boat never really caught on.

Still, they're nice boats. Congratulations.

--Joe

(I almost bought a Corinthian to replace my wooden catboat when I was in my early 20s. I ended up with an O'Day Mariner instead.)

[okawbow]

I know there are lots of faster small boats, but I really like the looks of the Corinthian, and the fact that it has a full keel and good capsize and motion comfort numbers. I need a boat that can be easily trailered and still be reasonably safe in big water. The non self bailing cockpit is a minus. The floor is actually below the waterline. I'll need to have a couple of really good bilge pumps and a way to seal off the cabin doors. But the boat has foam flotation, in the stern, and in a sealed forward compartment, so it won't sink. The Corinthian also has a small motor well inside the cockpit, so using a small outboard is easy.