repair of leak around rudder system of Epic V10

Hi
I have an Epic V10 ultra which is leaking. I have repaired any tiny dings so i suppose the rudder area is leaking as I have had a few knocks on the rudder surfing over rocks submerged .
Does anyone have experience with this sort of repair and how do you get to the rudder shaft to check if it is leaking there.

I had that same problem on a very old V-10 sport. The crack was inside the tube that holds the rudder shaft. It was very hard to see.

I found it using very light air pressure and soapy water.

The repair was done by a pro. That type of a fix is easy for them, they have tricks for those sneaky areas.

If you do a pressure test be sure to use extremely low pressure. Obviously, too much air will separate the skin from an internal support.

The air pressure gauge I used was useless for the low pressure needed for the test. It was designed to be accurate up above 50 psi, skis probably want less than 1 psi. If you don't have a gauge designed to go that low, be very careful.

If you do it, try to set up a supply line with a leak in it. A small hiss is very helpful to let you know how little pressure is needed. It actually takes a lot of air to 'pre-load' the volume, but beyond that point, just a tiny puff to keep enough pressure to create bubbles. It's a very fine line.

Try not to use air from a compressor.
Easiest way to check rudder tube issues is to turn the ski upside down, block the deck hole with your finger and suck on the hull outlet. This will tell you if the rudder post is leaking on the underside. If you can suck a bit of salt water (water) it will be the join of the hull and post. If it is a cracked post within the ski it should just be air.
To re-bond the post to the hull. I usually create a small groove around the post with a sharp blade, just slowly dig around the post, not the post itself but the hull. this will give you a little mote around the post. Make sure it is dry and then tape up the outside of the mote and block the post end with Plasticine or wax and then get a very runny epoxy and put in the mote you have created, keep filling the mote till it stops running out, if it continues to keep running out put enough in and then tape over the post and then turn the ski upright and leave to set hard. Capillary action will do all the work for you!
Usually 100% success rate.
No need for finishing as it should be very neat.

Sounds like a great idea. I will try this. I have a dremmel rotary drill. Could I create the moat with a small rose head drill. Being a dentist I am quite usefull with a drill after 34 years. What do you think?
cheers

What if the post is cracked?

Yes a small Dremmel will work fine, just don't touch the sleeve too much. You might get a bit of furring up of the Kevlar but don't worry too much about that, the resin will re impregnate the fibers and it will even help hold the resin.
I doubt the sleeve is split, but if it is the capillary action of the resin should seal it. If that should fail a new sleeve is the way to go.
I have replaced very few and the ones I have was due to the old ali rudder shafts corroding and jamming up.