Well, not the best day today. Launched out of discovery park water was super low on the river in Sac and it was my first time in the area and ended up hitting a sand bar. Prop was bent and the rudder was slightly bent as well. My question is whether the rudder can be repaired or straightened and if so how much it might cost. The steering was still nice and easy comming back in but when we looked at the rudder on the trailer it looked like it was slightly bent to the right towards the bottom.
sandbar shouldn't do that to a rudder --unless, you were at full speed? either way, least of your worries.. i would be more concerned with my shaft, strut and packing seal and how badly my prop is bent/damaged.. was there a significant amount of vibration cruising back in, or could you tell? might see if you can hand turn prop on shaft 1/4 turn and how much resistance? also, rudders are pretty beefy but repairable. it usually has to be machine-honed back to tolerance.. but you can do homemade repairs on it too. however, rudders are always mounted a little asymetrical to rotation of prop and you might be visualizing a little of that offset instead of a bend?.. maybe you can post pics for us to see? good luck!
Take it to Thomas Marine Propellers in Rancho Cordova, CA. I have taken a prop there and have had a friend take his prop and fins into them to get the straightened or repaired. They have great customer service and take about 3-5 days to complete the job.
I had a bent rudder and it was very hard to turn the steering wheel. Dealer would not try to straighten the rudder because bronze becomes brittle when it is worked and could lead to a failure. New rudder cost $280 plus installation in 2004.
Thanks for the link. It looks like those guys do amazing work. How are they on price. When i bought the boat, it came with 2 props. The one on it had a few little dings and i wanted to use it as my spare and have the other one which was pretty mangled repaired and use as my primary. Maybe I will have both done.
I never paid attention to the rudder prior to this mishap so it could have already been the way it is. Like i said before. It was not hard at all to turn and from what i've been reading it seems like others who have bent rudders have had stiff steering afterwards so maybe i'm ok.
Hopefully you have insurance. Last I checked rudders run about 350 plus another 350 to install at the dealer. If you have prop and shaft damage too then it is serious money. That should be covered under or collision policy as unmarked hazard.
by the way. This is on a 89 Malibu sunsetter the prop is a 13x13. The prop is definately bent. I got under the boat late last night and everything looks ok with the exception of the above mentioned parts. I would still like to have everything checked out to make sure i don't do any further damage.
I had a tear in one prop blade and they charged $170. They take the prop to ACME standards and they are a certified ACME prop repair shop from my understanding.
Change the rudder yourself, its really easy. Loosen a bolt holding the steering arm, pop it off and there should be a locking key. When you look at it you'll see how easy it is. The entire things drops right out and you slide a new one up and lock it in. Save yourself some money and learn something new in the process. Shouldn't take more then thirty minutes.
Matt, I have been through two props already this year. First time hearing about Thomas Marine Propeller, I'll price compare next time I need repair done But for your situation now, check out DCR propellers @ 916 344 8930. They are fast,cheep, and no problems with props I get back from them. Just an option for ya.
But for your situation now, check out DCR propellers @ 916 344 8930. They are fast,cheep, and no problems with props I get back from them. Just an option for ya. 
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