Rudder repair

The rudder of the Cobra extends below the line of the hull and is not stowable. Consequently it cops a lot of abuse, getting caught in the sand in surf launches or supporting the weight of the yak on roads and ramps. Now the original bolts securing the rudder dropped out when in transit shortly after purchase (slack installation by vendor) and I hastily replaced them with bolts of uncertain grade steel. They quickly rusted and had been set in place. Eventually the treatment got to them and the rudder sheared off at the ramp upon landing.

I couldn't remove the broken bolts using an easyout and had no access inside at the mount point, so drilled a couple of holes and tried wellnuts. Now wellnuts are good for many things, but not for bearing any load. I'd only get a few uses from them before the nut inside the rubber would pull through. Always a risk heading out with them being only thing securing the rudder.

Contacted the Aquatx factory (licenced by Cobra to make the yaks) who suggested welding an aluminium strip over the rudder tongue as the solution. Even better, they said they'd do it and send it to me free of charge. I was pleased with their generosity. However, despite some prompting, they never delivered.

So this week, I got a local aluminium welder to do the job and today fitted it to the yak using four splittail rivets (a great investment). Not the prettiest job but as strong as new