Broke my rudder in half today, and want to repair it

I beached my 2010 TI in a big rush today between big sets. Forgot to un bungee the rudder and flip it up in the rush to get in before the next set came, and when she grounded on the sand, the rudder snapped in half. The break looks exactly like the other rudder failures from a previous post where the rudders broke while sailing. See: Post subject: Re: TI rudder snapped in half!?! In my case, I had shortened the rudder hold down bungee because I was having a problem with the rudder popping back a half inch or so, out of its seat, while beating on starboard in 20 knot wind. When this happened I would feel and hear a pop, and I would immediately have huge weather helm. Impossible to fight it, and the boat would round up to weather, the helm would ease as a result, and the rudder would pop back into place untill the next big puff would do it all over again. Anyway, I theorized that the rudder hold down bungee had gotten stretched and this was what was causing the strange sudden overwhelming weather helm. I never actually saw it happen. So, instead of replacing the bungee with a new one, I shortened the old one by about an inch and a half by putting another knot in it. The bungee was so tight it I was just able to stretch it over the post on the rudder. Today was my first time to test the theory about the weak rudder bungee and I forgot to unhook it. So when the rudder hit the beach it couldn't pop up the way it's designed to. No question this was my own fault.
The question is, does anyone have an opinion regarding a temporary fix. I'm in Costa Rica. No dealer here, and a replacement rudder from elsewhere has to go through customs. That can take several weeks. I'm here for another 5 weeks, and the fish are biting.
I have epoxy laminating resin, and glass cloth, and could build up a patch over the break that would be stronger than the original.
Anyone know what the rudder material is, and if it is compatible with epoxy resin?
I can see right away that the weak point would be where the rudder fits into its slot in the rudder mount, where the little notch is on the port side of the rudder. The rudder broke at that exact point. I'll have to grind the new lamination off almost back to the original rudder matl. there so it can fit into its slot properly.
Assuming epoxy won't attack the material, does anyone want to comment on my proposed repair?
BTW, The wind wasn't high enough today for me to test the weak bungee theory, so I still am not sure what is causing the sudden extreme weather helm preceded by a pop while beating on starboard in 20 knot wind. Any ideas on that?

Do you still have the twist-n-stow rudder that came with the original TI's? If so, Hobie has a free upgrade to the bigger strait up/down rudder that is used now.

Where in the rudder was the break?

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Hey Bob, Yes, I still have the original twist and stow rudder. I bought the boat second hand from someone who bought the only Ti ever sold in Costa Rica by a dealer who went out of business quickly. ( That's the story, I really don't know what actually happened) The break is directly across the horizontal axis of the rudder a quarter inch above the lowest part of the rudder mounting bracket. If you will go to the pics that are posted in the post I referenced above: Post subject: Re: TI rudder snapped in half!?! you can see exactly where the break occurred. The break is on a 90 degree angle to the vertical axis of the rudder. I'm happy to hear that there is a new replacement for the rudder. However that will not help me in the next 6 weeks.
I'm really hoping for some info to help me in fixing my broken rudder ASAP while I'm here in Costa Rica. When I return to the states, I can easily get a replacement rudder.

As KB says, you are eligible for a rudder upgrade--highly recommended (get rid of that piece of t-n-s crap.) Just call Hobie & tell them you have never received the rudder upgrade. Have your serial # handy. In the meantime, maybe some vertical aluminum 1/4" angle iron bolted on or just some aluminum 1"x1/8" vertical staves--if you have enough material to attach them. Pretty poor rudder, but will get you on the water again.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Hi Keith,
Thanks for the idea of bolting on alum straps. The break is out of the water, so I don't need to do anything very hydrodynamic, and bolting on straps would be much easier than dealing with an epoxy layup. It doesn't need to be pretty, and it only needs to last till I get a replacement. It turns out there is a dealer here in Costa Rica, but his turn around time on a new rudder order is 5 weeks minimum. I've got a buddy coming down her in a couple of weeks, so I'll ask Hobie to ship to him. When you mentioned calling Hobie, did you mean a dealer? I guess any dealer would do, but could you suggest a stateside dealer who has an active community of TI's he supplies? Preferably east coast. He might be more helpful regarding the change over to the new rudder style.
thanks!
Kirk

Kirk, at the bottom of this forum page are some shortcuts. One is product registration. Register your boat in your name. Now, it is possible that the previous owner received the rudder upgrade and just never installed it. Assuming he did not, then, call Hobie USA. Their number is 1-760-758-9100. Tell them your situation and that you want to get the rudder upgrade ASAP. I suggest this because I was in a somewhat similar situation a few years ago, and that is what I did. Consequently, I think I was one of the first to get the rudder upgrade here in the states.

Good luck!

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Keith,
Thanks for your help. It's much appreciated. After another look at the cross section of the area of the break, I decided to get a couple of thin steel plates and bolt them on over the whole area. There are no compound curves in that area, and in fact the sides are flat, tapering straight back in a wedge shape, so the plates should be pretty strong. I'll reef aggressively to keep as much strain off the patch as possible and it might just keep me on the water for the next month. BTW, trolling for big fish in the TI is too much fun! Thanks again for all the advice.